Why This Candle? Why This Cake?
by judybrowneyes
Summary: An upgrade to Enterprise's warp engine coincide with Winona Kirk's birthday. Jim and his crew are back on Earth while the ship is at the Mars Utopia Planitia Shipyards. Plans for his mother's birthday party are in progress, when sabotage threatens Jim's mighty ship.
1. Chapter 1

**Why This Candle? Why this Cake? **

**Chapter 1 **

"**The universe wanted you to celebrate and appreciate your life **

**so every year she gave you a birthday." **

**Debasish Mridha**

_**This story takes place in the first few months of Jim's assignment as the new Captain of the Enterprise**_

Bones, Bones, Bones?" Jim hurried into the Sick Bay, slightly out of breath. He'd just come from his briefing room on the bridge. He hadn't run, Captains never run in the corridors of their ship because it alarmed the crew, but he'd definitely walked really fast. "Christine where is Bones?"

Christine, busy at the computer inputting chart information, didn't even look up. She pointed a finger to the store room.

"Thanks, Christine."

Jim opened the door to the store room to see Bones sitting on the floor counting meds...cartridges were in neat little piles all around him and he was muttering under his breath. Jim waited until the muttering stopped, knowing better than to interrupt. When Bones finished, he put the number into his padd and looked up at Jim.

"Hey, Jim. What brings you to the storeroom, came to help me count meds?" He grinned up at Jim, the open happy grin Jim loved to see. It meant that Bones was happy and all was right in his worlds, both personal and medical.

"Ha, good one, Bones." Jim sat down on the floor beside the doctor. "I have news, Dr. McCoy, big news."

"Oh?" Leonard put down his padd. "Whatever it is, you sure look excited about it."

"Just got word from Komack..."

"Ugh," Bones grimaced. "That jackass. What did he say?"

"Weellll," Jim beamed, his hazel eyes alight. "We're going to be rerouted back to Earth. All the Constitution Starships are going on rotation for a big warp engine upgrade. The new upgrade will increase our warp capability to warp 8.5. It's been in the works for a while. It's darn expensive, but the C in C finally got approval from the Federation Council. And since we're the flag ship of the Fleet we're first. The upgrade will take the Mars Planitia yard dogs a full month to install soooo..."

Leonard whistled. "Warp 8.5, eh? I bet Scotty's beside himself. So...shore leave?" He asked hopefully.

"Shore leave! Much as it pained Komack to tell me that. Everyone must be off the ship including the Captain, only the Utopia Planitia yard dogs allowed on board." They grinned at each other, fully aware of Admiral Komack's petty and overt dislike of Jim, and how it pained him to grant Jim shore leave. "I've left the best for last, Bones?"

"Oh? It must be somethin' damn special then."

"It's Ma's 60th birthday next month! Now we'll be able to celebrate it with a big party, invite all the people she loves best. I'm going to give her the kind of party she deserves!"

"Jim!" Leonard's blue eyes sparkled. "That's a great idea, your mama deserves the biggest and best party you can come up with. And you can count on me to help out however you need me to. And I bet Nyota will help too, and so will anyone else you ask. We all love your mama."

"Thanks, Bones." He got up from the floor. "I'm going to comm Ma and tell her. I know she'll say not to make a big fuss about her birthday, but that's not going to happen. It's going to be a big celebration in her honor. I'll keep you posted. Don't forget we're on for dinner tonight."

Leonard looked after him affectionally. The jaunty set of the broad gold shoulders told him Jim was happy, and that always pleased the doctor. Jim's physical and mental health was his primary responsibility on the ship. Leonard knew that sometimes the weight of Jim's responsibilities as Captain weighed heavily on him but only McCoy and sometimes Spock ever saw it. To the crew, James Kirk was always the self assured, invincible, courageous, charismatic young Captain they'd follow to hell and back.

Leonard sighed and went back to the soothing no brainer task of counting his store of medicines. It was good to know that he could replenish his stock when they were in San Francisco, much sooner than their supply ship rendezvous schedule. He hummed contently under his breath. A party in Winona's honor would be great fun. It'd be a chance to see all the Riverside folks again as well as Gavin, Violet, Davy, Tom, Jonathon, maybe even T'Lane, Amanda and Sarek if they were on Earth. Also he and Jim would be able to spend some fun quality time together. They sure hadn't been doin' much of that lately. Maybe, he thought excitedly, he'd ask Jim if Joanna could come to the farm for a few days. Now that his custody agreement had been modified, he could see his little girl whenever he was on Earth.

Back in his quarters, Jim asked the Beta shift communications officer, Lt. M'Ress to patch him through to his mother. He was a couple of days early for their scheduled weekly comm call with her and Peter, but he couldn't wait to tell her the big news. M'Ress promised to do her best to put the call through as soon as possible.

Jim took a quick shower put on his most comfortable sweats and sat down with a book to wait for M'Ress to notify him his comm was ready.

His comm pinged. "Kirk here."

"Captain, the sssignal is ssstrong for your comm to your mother. Go ahead, Sssir."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

His mother's visage came on the comm screen. "Ma, how are you?"

"Jim, dear. This is a surprise. We didn't expect to hear from you until your usual Thursday evening comm, and Peter is still at soccer practice, it ran late today. Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine, Ma, and I'll talk to Peter on Thursday. I have a big surprise for you." Jim leaned back in his chair and grinned.

"Jim Kirk, you look like the cat who swallowed the canary, what's going on?"

"We're heading to Earth, Ma. A big warp engine upgrade for all Constitution ships and since _Enterprise_ is the flagship, we're first, so a whole month off for the entire crew! It pained Komack no end to tell me, but this comes from Admiral Nogura himself. What with the Romulans escalating their skirmishes outside the neutral zone, the main line of defense of the Alpha quadrant are the Constitution and Destroyer class ships. The Destroyers will get their turn next so I've heard. The Romulans may have the cloaking device, but they can't fire when cloaked and we'll be able to out run them at 8.5 warp speed. Scotty, Spock and I will have to be on call, and do some paper work for the yard dogs, go on site occasionally, but for the most part they don't want pesky Captains, Firsts, and CE around to bother them, so we're free! I'll be working from San Francisco part time, Ma, but I can spend a big chunk of time with you and Peter at the farm."

"Oh, Jim! That's wonderful news and so unexpected! Peter will be thrilled, son. is Len coming?"

"Of course, he's coming. Couldn't visit the farm without Bones. It's going to great, Ma!"

Jim cleared his throat getting ready for the protests he knew were coming. "Anyway, since I'll have that unexpected time off, I want to plan a birthday party for you. It's your 60th, a big milestone, and I want to celebrate it with you and Peter in a big way. And you're not going to spend a single credit on this shindig, Ma! This is my gift to you, and no arguments." Jim rushed on. "We can have it at the farm or at Mama Salvatore's restaurant or in San Fran at my apartment. It's your call, Ma, but celebrate it we will."

There was a moment of silence while Winona looked at the implacable face and determined hazel eyes of her younger son, and accepted defeat without firing a single volley of protest. She knew when protest was futile, therefore giving in gracefully was the way to go.

"All right, Jim dear, if that's what you want to do then that's what we'll do. Thank you son, it's lovely that you want to do this for me." She smiled and her one dimple flashed. "And I do love a good party," she added.

There was a flash of surprise on Jim's face at her swift capitulation, but then he grinned. "Now there's the Ma I know and love, accepting defeat with a good grace." His eyes twinkled at her. "Where do you want to have the party, Ma?"

"I think here at the farm. The weather will be nice, spring in Iowa is always nice, and we can put up some lights in the front yard, open all the doors, and guests can come in and out of the house as they choose. What do you think of that idea, Jim?"

"I like the idea. I thought you'd choose Riverside."

"It'll be easier for everyone, and most of my friends do live here."

Jim snorted. "Ma, you have friends everywhere in the quadrant, but Riverside will be a nice central location, and the farm is your favorite place in the world."

"It is, sweetheart. My best memories are here at the farm...your father, you and Sam, Aurelan, Peter, your grandparents, and all our dear friends. When do you want to have this party?"

"It'll take us a few days to get back to San Francisco, so our leave doesn't start until then. How about three weeks after we arrive. That'll give us some time to plan and send out invitations. You better start on the guest list, Ma."

Winona nodded. "How many guests, Jim?"

"As many as you want. However many people will make you happy to have with you. As many as you think will fit in and out of the house."

"Jim!" Winona looked aghast. "That number could add up quickly!"

"I know, mama, and I don't care. I want to make sure that everyone who knows and loves you will be there to celebrate with you. No stinting on the numbers, Ma. I mean it."

Winona sighed. "All right, dear. Wait until I tell Peter, he's going to be so excited at the news you're coming, and about the birthday party."

"Tell him I'll fill him in on Thursday, and that I'm counting on him to help me."

"I will."

"There's my times up signal from M'Ress, Ma. I'll comm you again on Thursday. Love you."

"Love you too, darling. Be safe."

Jim closed the comm, a little bemused. That had been much easier than he thought, his mother had capitulated rather quickly. He smiled to himself. It was true, Winona Kirk loved a good party, having people she knew and loved around her eating good food and having fun. He was thankful that he'd had a full half hour to talk to his mother. M'Ress had worked her magic to fit him in. A non scheduled comm to Earth had to take its place in the outgoing communications queue, and Captain or not, he had to take his turn along with everyone else, unless of course, it was an emergency.

His door bell chimed. "Come," he called out. As expected, Bones came through the door. Jim looked at the time. "You're a little late, Bones. Something happened to hold you up?"

"Naw, just thought I'd wait to give you time to talk to Winona. How did it go? Did she put up a fight?" He grinned. He's seen first hand when the two Kirks had a stubbornness stand off, and it always tickled him that Winona usually won.

"No, to my surprise Ma agreed to the party pretty quickly." He went to his tiny kitchenette. "Tea or a drink?" He asked. They usually relaxed for a bit before dinner or after dinner. Jim frowned slightly. Come to think of it he and Bones hadn't done this is a while...why was that? Neither of them had been that busy... had they? No, he thought, not really, things had been pretty quiet lately, and it was a long standing ritual the two of them enjoyed a lot, so why hadn't they?

Bones' voice recalled him to his task. "Tea tonight, thanks. I have surgery in the morning." He answered Jim's questioning look. "Minor procedure. One of the engineers broke a finger sometime back and never came in to have it osteo-regenerated. It healed wrong, of course, crooked as can be, so I'm gonna' fix it in the morning." He shook his head. "What are we gonna' do with those crazy engineers, Jim? They have the highest injury stats on the ship...even higher than security. Spock, Scotty, and I have pulled our hair out over those stats, well I've pulled my hair out, Spock just raises an eyebrow and Scotty's brogue gets incomprehensible."

Jim raised his own eyebrow.

Leonard sighed. "Safety protocol sims don't seem to ever help much, we've done a lot of them. Komack isn't goin' be happy next quarterly report. We've got to get those stats down. Scotty does his best, but he can't be on every shift all the time. He's worried too, every time one of his 'lads' gets hurt he haunts Sick Bay until I release them."

"Which shift has the worst stats, Bones?"

"Gamma shift. Dead of ship's night, and they don't usually have that much to do during that shift. I don't understand it."

Jim handed him his mint tea with honey, Leonard's favorite. "I think I do," he said. "It's because they don't have enough to do, so they get sleepy and careless. I'll have a talk with Scotty, have him assign more work for the Gamma shift rotation and we'll see if the stats improve. If not we'll put our heads together to figure out something else."

Leonard's eyes gleamed in admiration. "We hadn't thought of that, Jim. Should've come to you sooner. You saw it right away. Even Spock, walking computer that he is, didn't see it. Guess that's why they made you Captain."

To Leonard's delight, Jim cheeks pinked. "Bones...," he protested.

"Jim...don't be embarrassed, you gotta' learn to take a compliment. It's true what I said,..none of the rest of us thought of that."

"Just doing my job," Jim muttered uncomfortably.

"Maybe so, but like I said, that's why they made you Captain. You think outside the box."

"Well lets see if I'm right, before you heap praises upon my head," Jim smiled at him affectionately, happy to see him relaxed and at ease here once again in Jim's quarters. Bones, his biggest supporter on this boat, unless for some reason or another, he was scolding Jim. "You ready for dinner? Or have you already eaten? I'm running a little late tonight, because of my call to Ma."

"Nope haven't eaten yet. I figured we'd be a little later tonight. I'm ready. Main or officer's mess?"

"Main mess, best way to keep an eye on crew morale. Do you know if Spock and Uhura have eaten yet. They're on Alpha with me this ten day."

"Nope, haven't seem either of them. I was holed up most of the day countin' meds." Leonard sighed. He'd really hoped it might be just Jim and him for dinner. "And you know the hobgoblin. If he's busy with somethin' he'll skip eatin'. 'As you know, Doctor, Vulcans can go long periods of time without eating,'" Leonard intoned in his best Spock imitation.

Jim grinned. "True. Sounds just like Spock. Bones, why don't you ever let your staff do the med counting? It's grunt work, your time would be much better spent doing something else."

"I know you think that, Jim, but I want to do it. I like the reassurance of seeing the actual number of meds we currently have on hand, all lined up and ready for me. It's not enough for me to just see the number on my padd. If I actually see when we're running out of somethin' I can push Boyce's people harder to send the medical supply ship with more. Just seein' the number on my screen doesn't have the same urgency, and neither does me sending an email to the warehouses. When they actually hear my voice, they know I mean business."

"And that's why they made you the CMO of this boat. You think outside the box."

Jim laughed out loud at the sight of Bones' face when he heard his own words echoed back at him.

The mess was still filled with Alpha shift personnel. Always happy to see their Captain among them, they greeted both men genially as they passed by taking their trays to their usual table.

"Wait until I tell them we're all having a month of leave," Jim whispered as the two men sat down.

...


	2. Chapter 2

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 2 **

"**What is home? My favorite definition is "a safe place," **

**a place where one is free from attack, **

**a place where one experiences secure relationships and affirmation.**

**It's a place where people share and understand each other."**

**Gladys Hunt **

They were halfway through their meal, the two men still discussing their shore leave in whispers, when Uhura came to the table carrying her food tray. She eyed them. "What are you whispering about?" Jim and Bones both gallantly got up, one of them reached to carry her heavy tray, the other to pull out her chair. She smiled impartially at them. Uhura was not one to disdain gentlemanly manners, Leonard with his southern ones, and Jim with his Winona trained ones.

Leonard looked pointedly at the tray full of food, but decided to err on the side of tact and said nothing.

Uhura caught his glance. "Don't think this is all for me, Len. I'm taking some of it to Scotty and Chekov. They're wrapped up in some warp core equations which I found incomprehensible. Scotty called Pavel down after shift to come join him and Pavel leapt at the chance. You know he adores Scotty. He's like another father to him."

Jim nodded. Their youngest crew member worshipped the ground Scotty walked on, and Jim saw no reason to interfere with that. He also liked the fact that the young Chekov had a razor sharp mind and wanted to learn everything he could about Jim's ship.

"Worships the Captain here too." Leonard looked blandly at Jim. "A little hero worship is a good thing and always welcomed. I worshipped Admiral Boyce when I first joined Starfleet. Amazing doctor, amazing surgeon, a good man. No one better. Told him so too, last time I saw him."

Uhura listened fascinated. As far as she was concerned, there was no better doctor in all of Starfleet than Leonard H. McCoy, and she knew Jim felt the same way. To discover that Len would even think there was someone better than him floored her.

Before she could voice this, though, there was a minute shake of the head from Jim and a mild warning in his eyes. In other words, don't step on Bones hero worship choice.

She cleared her throat. "Captain..., guess who sent me a message? I had to read it, that's why I was a bit late coming to the mess." Her eyes sparkled a challenge. "Any guesses?"

"Hmm," Jim's hazel eyes twinkled. "Was it by any chance my beloved mama?"

Uhura's mouth opened in surprise. "How in the world did you know it was your mother?"

"Because I know Ma. She told you about my plans for throwing her a big birthday party for her 60th, didn't she?"

"She did. I had no idea your mother was going to be 60, Jim. She looks so much younger."

"It's those Davis genes. My grandma Davis always looked younger too. Anyway, she and dad got married young, before they even graduated from the academy, and she had Sam and me pretty young." He looked somberly at Bones. "She lost a baby early on after Sam. That's why there was 5 years between us."

Leonard nodded. "Happens, Jim. Even in this day and age, miscarriages can still happen when it's very early in the pregnancy... not much a doctor can do, really."

"What did Ma want, Nyota?" Jim asked, changing the subject.

"She wanted to know if I would be available to help her with the party. Captain, will I be available? Winona seemed to think so." Her liquid brown eyes pinned him down for an answer.

Jim leaned in keeping his voice soft. "You will." He went on to tell her about their new orders. "I'm going to announce it to the entire crew in the next day or so, but don't let Ma talk you into anything, Nyota. If you want to visit with your family in Kenya you go right ahead. Ma, Peter and I can handle things, and Bones is coming with me to the farm. He said he'd help, and I'm sure there'll be others who'll want to help."

"I do want to visit with my family for a week or so, but I'll be back in plenty of time to help Winona. I wouldn't miss it for anything! Your mom and I have a great time together."

"Everyone has a great time with Jim's Ma. She's that kind of person, you just enjoy being around her."

Jim beamed. "Thanks, Bones. I think so too, but then I'm prejudiced."

"Well, I best get to Engineering with this food before Scotty and Chekov starve to death." Uhura started gathering up the sandwiches and fruit.

"See you later then, darlin'. Jim and I'll take care of your tray, you go on now, before those two crazy tinkerers expire from hunger."

"Thanks, Len."

"I wonder if I should take a walk down to Engineering," Jim mused. "Just to check to see what they're doing."

Leonard nodded sagely. "A wise decision, mon capitán. A very wise decision. Best to know exactly what those two are up to."

—-

Their journey back to the San Francisco Fleet Yards was happily uneventful. No Romulans, Orions, Klingons, and no weird space anomalies, Jim reflected thankfully, as he walked the corridors of his ship one last time before turning her over to the yard dogs. As her new Captain, he was proud that he was going to turn his ship over without a scratch on her.

All crew would disembark in San Francisco while the ship remained in dry dock for the month. _Enterprise_ would be powered down, her warp core and impulse engines dismantled, removed, and then taken to the Mars Utopia Planitia Space Yard for the upgrades. While she was in dry dock, _Enterprise's_ name and registry number would be also be repainted.

The Federation had always deemed it prudent not to put all their defense eggs in one basket in case of an attack, therefore there were two major starship construction and repair facilities: the Utopia Planitia Ship Yard in orbit around Mars, and the San Francisco Fleet Yard orbiting above Earth. The Planitia Ship Yard on Mars was so important to the Federation, that its defense was the responsibility of the entire Third Fleet. Earth's San Francisco Ship Yard was defended by its giant impenetrable maw which always remained closed unless a ship entered or left the shipyard, and by the First Fleet, which included all of Starfleet's Constitution Starships, including Jim's own.

Once the warp core and warp engines were upgraded on Planitia, they would be transported back to the ship, put back in place, and extensively tested before the ship would be allowed to go back into the black. That's when Scotty and his engineers would be recalled to _Enterprise. _The _Enterprise_ Engineering Department would to be rigorously retrained on the new 8.5 capacity warp and impulse engines, and then Jim, Spock, and Lt. Sulu as chief Navigator, would be brought on board for their briefing on the ship's new capacity and finally there would be the formal hand off of the upgraded ship back to Jim.

Jim sat in his chair his eyes intent on the view screen as, with a thunderous burst of energy, the _Enterprise_ dropped out of warp just outside Earth's orbit. The bridge crew had a clear view of the giant maw that protected San Francisco Space Central as it opened, and Sulu's careful sure hands glided her in. The bots came scurrying out to tether the giant ship and, with that operation complete, Jim turned over the ship's control to Space Central's Chief of Operations. He stood to give the all call for all hands to disembark.

The crew and department heads transported down in groups, then Spock, Scotty, and Bones disembarked, and finally, as was tradition from time immemorial the Captain, who was always last to leave his ship.

Scotty stood waiting for him in the lounge. 'Tis sad I am to leave our girl in the hands of others, Captain," he said mournfully. "Sassenachs one and all," Scotty muttered wrathfully under his breath.

Jim swallowed a smile. "I know, Scotty. I'm sad too." Only Scotty shared Jim's fervent passion and love for the ship. True, all the _Enterprise_ crew loved their ship, it was after all their home and shelter out in the black. In her, the crew saw the promise that she would always bring them safely home, and she had never let them down. All the crew revered their ship, but Jim and Scotty loved her with a pure, fervent, and deep devotion.

"But, Scotty" Jim said, trying to console his bereft CE, "lets keep in mind that she'll be returned to us better than ever. We'll be able to out run and out maneuver those pesky Romulans, Orions, and Klingons," Jim reminded him, trying to put a positive spin and enthusiasm into his voice. In truth, he felt bereft too, leaving his beautiful girl in someone else's hands was difficult. "Also you and I will be able to check in with the Utopia Planitia Chief once a day for the ship's status. We aren't really abandoning her," Jim assured Scotty.

Leonard rolled his eyes at the two. Honestly, he would never understand why Jim and Scotty were so besotted with the ship. Be that as it may, it was obviously time to provide a distraction otherwise they'd be here a long while and there might even be the embarrassing sight of a stalwart Starship Captain and his equally stalwart CE shedding sad tears together.

"Come on, Jimmy. We're gonna be late and we have a shuttle to catch. Your Ma and Peter will be waiting for us. Spock, Scotty, we'll see y'all later." Leonard took Jim's elbow and coaxed him away from the mournful Scotty.

"Oh, that's right, sorry Bones." Jim turned his head back to address the Vulcan who was eying them stoically. "Spock, I know you'll be staying at the Embassy, but don't be a stranger. Ma and Peter will want to see you. Scotty, have a great time in Aberdeen with your sister and her family. I'll see you when they call us back, okay? We'll keep in close touch."

"Aye, Captain. You have a great visit and I'll try me best to enjoy meself in spite of present circumstances."

"It is unfortunate that at this time my father requires my presence, Jim, but it would be most gratifying to visit the farm again. Also please let me know if you need assistance for the festivities. I will be pleased to help."

"Thanks, Spock. I'll let you know if Ma needs extra help."

Leonard saw a faint shadow cross Spock's face as they said goodbye and he gently guided Jim to the shuttle port by the simply crowding him slightly. Long ago he'd acquired this small trick whenever he and Jim had to be someplace at a certain time. Jim (who never met a stranger) Kirk would otherwise stop every few minutes to greet or speak with someone.

"Bones, stop rushing me," Jim protested, shaking him off. "We have plenty of time."

"No, we don't, Jim. I made our reservations for an earlier shuttle since our arrival time changed. We have to be there in ten minutes or they'll will give our seats to someone else."

"Well, why didn't you say so before, Bones? Honestly, I don't know why I couldn't use _Galileo_ or _Copernicus_ while I'm here. It would have been a lot easier and they're just going to be sitting there in the ship's shuttle bay."

"You know why. Fleet frowns on using ships' shuttles for personal use, and you're not on a mission."

Jim sighed. "I know, but it would've been a lot more convenient, and I don't like that you're paying for our shuttle, Bones. There's really no need for that, you're my guest," he added testily, the fierce Kirk pride flaring.

"Now, Jim. We've already talked about this. It's the least I can do, staying with you for a whole month and eating Winona's great food, and then Joanna will be coming to stay with me for a week, so please just let me do this one small thing." His blue eyes beseeched Jim.

Jim's sunshine smile flashed, the mention of Joanna distracting him from his ire. "It's great that Jojo's coming. Now that your custody agreement has been modified you can see Joanna whenever you're on Earth, and Jocelyn just has to lump it! Ma and Peter are thrilled she's coming."

Leonard grinned hugely. "She's real excited. You know how much she loves you and your Ma and she and Peter get along great, even though, and I'm quoting here, "he's a boy, daddy."

Jim laughed at that. "It's true he's a boy, but in my opinion, he's an extremely nice little boy."

"He certainly is and he's so patient with Joanna. He's like you, Jim. You're very patient with all our young crew. I like to see that. For most of them it's their first time away from home. Even when they were at the Academy, they could go home weekends and holidays."

"No, Bones, I do try hard to be patient, but Peter is more like Sam." Jim got that sad look in his hazel eyes whenever he spoke about his brother. "Sam was always very patient with me, and I must have been a real trial to him sometimes. He was 5 years older than me and had his own friends to hang out with, but he never made me feel like a little pest. I thought Sam hung the moon...always." He sighed. "I still miss him so much, Bones. Sometimes I think I'll never get over it, it still hurts so much when I think he's gone from us forever, but then I think of Ma and how much worse it must be for her."

"Jim...," Leonard put a comforting warm hand on his arm, feeling the bunched tense muscles there. "There are things that happen to us, losses we go through that we never get over. All we can do is just learn to bear it, live with it, and go on with our lives as best we can. You're all doing the best you can, you, your mom and Peter, learning to live your lives without Sam, without Aurelan, but cherishing all the good memories you have of them."

Jim covered the warm hand with his own. "Thanks, Bones." They walked on in comfortable silence, Leonard thinking how privileged he was to see this side of Jim, seeing his pain and vulnerability. Jim never showed this side of himself to anyone other than to his mother, to Leonard, and once to Spock. On the bridge he was always the invincible Captain, the skilled diplomat with a brave heart, strong, charismatic, brilliant, a leader his crew would follow to hell and back.

"There's our shuttle, Bones. We're just in time."

They flashed their IDs, scanned in their tickets, and hurried on board. This public shuttle would take them to Des Moines and there they'd rent a personal size shuttle to use for the rest of their stay. Jim wanted to be free to come and go without having to depend on his mother's runabout and leave her without transportation.

They picked up their rental in Des Moines. Jim, always happy to pilot anything, looked down at the terrain contently. The flight to Riverside was quiet for the most part. Leonard, pleased to be in a shuttle piloted by the highly competent Jim, relaxed, looking at the scenery below, and at the occasional flitter and shuttle passing close to their own shuttle in their own lanes,. To Jim's amusement, Bones waved genially at a couple of pilots.

It was a beautiful day, sunny and cool. At this time of the year, Jim had told Bones, the weather in Iowa was very different than San Francisco's. The doctor had been to Riverside many times, but only in Iowa's very cold winter and very hot summer. Spring weather in Iowa was quite variable because the temperatures fluctuated greatly, so it was best to dress in layers. Jim suggested Bones bring several long and short-sleeved shirts, sweaters, a lightweight jacket which would provide the most flexibility, and a raincoat. Starfleet boots would provide the best protection against wet weather. So Leonard had packed for all eventualities, and also carried his fully outfitted field medical bag. He was taking no chances with James T. for Trouble Kirk.

Riverside was still a small town, it had a couple of doctors, and a small Urgent Care facility, but all the fully equipped hospitals were in Iowa City and Des Moines. Serious medical cases were immediately sent there when deemed necessary by the attending physician. Jim, as Captain of the _Enterprise_, rated being immediately beamed wherever his CMO designated, but Leonard was always prepared for all medical eventualities when going anywhere with Jim Kirk.

"Were in Riverside, Bones," Jim said excitedly, looking down. "I'll set the shuttle down in the back pasture like always. Ma will be expecting us, but Peter won't be home from school yet."

He brought the shuttle down and parked it next to his mother's smaller runabout. They grabbed their belongings, and Jim opened the shuttle door. A small tornado came flying out the farmhouse back door, running towards the two men. Jim dropped his duffles, and Winona threw herself at her son.

Jim hugged her tightly. "Ma, Ma, it's so great to see you!"

Winona cupped his face between her two small hands. "Oh Jim, it's wonderful to have you home. What an unexpected gift, sweetheart." She kissed one cheek and then the other, then turned to hug Leonard too.

"It's wonderful to have you here, Len, and to know that Joanna will be coming for a week. Peter is thrilled! And he can't wait to see you, Jim. I bet he's accomplished nothing at school today."

"Can't wait to see him too, Ma."

"It's always great to be here, Winona. Thanks for havin' me."

"Peter and I love to have you visit, Len. Who else can I talk southern cooking with?" She smiled affectionately at him.

Jim picked up his duffles, keeping his arm around his mother. "Ma, are you absolutely sure you're going to be 60?" he grinned down at her. "You came flying out that door like you were Peter's age."

"Happiness lends wings to my feet," Winona told him.

"That's a nice quote, Winona, who's it from?"

"Winona Kirk," she dimpled at Leonard. She put her hand through the crook of both men's arms, and led them to the house. "Lunch is ready, gentlemen."

—


	3. Chapter 3

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake?**

**Chapter 3**

"**It's a thing to see when a boy comes home." **

**John Steinbeck**

**The Grapes of Wrath**

The kitchen was exactly the same as always, with its real wooden cabinets painted a soft cream, the large country sink which was a replica of the original one, the wooden dining table from his grandparents' day, and the wide plank oak floors which had been refinished many times and were original to the house. Things had looked the same since Jim's great grandparent's time. Winona had always resisted the idea of modernizing the farm house too much and Jim, Sam, and George Kirk agreed with her.

As a concession to modern conveniences, Winona had allowed Jim's father to install a food replicator, but it was seldom used, except perhaps by Peter and his friends when they wanted a quick snack. Jim saw the table was already set with Winona's Blue Willow dishes which had been handed down to her from her grandmother. They were set on a blue and white checked tablecloth, and there was already a large salad in the large antique milk glass bowl which had been a wedding gift to the Kirks from Father Joe. Blue glasses were already filled with sweetened iced tea and there was a blue pitcher to the ready for refills.

Jim gave a small sigh of contentment. "Everything looks exactly the same, Ma. Bones and I are really hungry. Breakfast was a long time ago."

"Win, you have no idea how I've been looking forward to your cooking! Sometimes I actually dream about your cookin'! Best dreams ever! What are we having?"

"In your honor, Len, we're having fried chicken, potato salad, corn on the cob, and peach pie for dessert." She smiled her sweetest smile. "I hope you don't think this isn't a healthy lunch, because I seriously debated serving it to you for that very reason." She looked at Jim, mischief in her eyes.

Leonard's eyes opened wide, and he put his arms around his dinner plate. "It's healthy, it's absolutely healthy, Win. You've made my culinary dreams come true, you are a walkin' talkin' cookin' angel!"

Jim laughed. "Ma, don't listen to him. That's cupboard love coming out of Bones' mouth, pure and simple. However I have to agree with him. It all looks delicious!"

"Just save a chicken leg for Peter when he gets home from school. He'll say it's just a snack. That child has a hollow leg."

"Can't wait to see him," Jim said, digging in with blatant gusto.

"Jim dear, I've invited Violet and Gavin for dinner tomorrow. Father Joe said if he could, and had no appointments, he'd come too. I thought it'd be a good chance for you to see everyone. I also told Mama Salvatore we'd have dinner with them at the restaurant one evening, and you'll see Jonathon for breakfast Saturday morning."

"That's a great, Ma. It'll be the perfect opportunity to tell everyone about your birthday party. Is Davy coming too?"

"Of course Davy's coming! As if I'd let Gavin and Violet leave him behind! Any chance I get to see that baby, I make the most of it, although he's more of a toddler than a baby now and he's talking a lot now. Now let's eat and then you two can unpack and settle in."

"Ma, have you started working at all on your invitations?" Jim asked.

Winona sighed. "I'm trying, Jim, but you didn't let me know how many to invite?"

"You invite as many people as you want, any and all the people you want to be here with you. There's absolutely no number limit."

Winona looked at him aghast. "Jim, there are so many," she moaned. "I've started twice and I keep thinking of more people. We don't have that much room, and I want to have the party here at home, and it'll cost you a fortune!"

Jim looked mutinous. "Ma, I told you. I don't care what it costs, as long as the party is exactly the way you want and it makes you happy that's all I care about."

Winona looked helplessly at Leonard who took pity on her.

"Winona, why don't you give yourself a set number of invitations to work toward. You can start with your family and closest friends. Once you reach that number you can add more if you want to or just stop there."

"Oh! Leonard, that's a great idea!" She smiled at him gratefully. "I can work with that. I'll start with 50...that's a good number, not so overwhelming," she said, getting up to serve dessert. Jim opened his mouth to protest his perceived small number of invitations, but Leonard kicked him hard under the table. Jim closed his mouth looking daggers at him, but didn't say anything.

Winona came back with the pie plates. On each was a big slice of peach pie. The two men moaned happily as they tasted the pie.

"Delicious," mumbled Leonard, his mouth full.

"I feel much better now. That invitation list was starting to feel overwhelming," Winona confessed.

"Ma, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize." Jim looked contrite. "I want this to be fun for you, not a chore to get through."

"It's all right, sweetheart. Thanks to Len, I've got a handle on it now. If you're finished you go unpack and get settled in. No, no, I don't need any help, I'll put everything in the dishwasher. It won't take me but a minute."

Jim followed Leonard into the bedroom, and sat on one of the beds watching him as he unpacked. Leonard looked at him curiously. "What's on your mind, Jimbo? You're awfully quiet."

Jim looked at him a little forlorn. "Thanks for what you did with Ma, Bones. I know I get carried away, but like I said, I want this to be fun for her. I certainly don't want it to become a burden."

Leonard smiled reassuringly. "It's all right, Jimmy. I know and your Ma knows too, that your heart's in the right place. You want this to be real special for her. We'll help her out as much as possible, and when Ny gets back from Kenya, she'll be a huge help to Winona. You know your mama, Jim, she wants everyone to be happy, and then she's happy too. So we're all gonna' make that happen."

"We are. And if you notice I'm getting carried away again, putting too much pressure on her, you just pull me back, Bones. Promise me, okay?"

"I promise. Just talk to your mom about what she wants and plan things with a light hand and it'll all come together. You'll see, your mama will have a great birthday party."

"I just want it to be the kind of celebration she deserves. Ma is always doing things for others, always thinking of everyone else first, putting herself last. Most people don't realize it because she's always so happy, so positive, but I see it, so I want this to be all about her. I want her to realize how much she means to Peter and me, and how much she means to the other people in her life. How much we all love her."

"We'll make sure it happens that way, don't you worry your head 'bout that. Now then let's get you unpacked and settled, it's almost time for Peter to get home. Cain't wait to see that child. Bet he's grown like a weed."

Jim grinned, hazel eyes alight, and started pulling clothes out of his duffel. "According to Ma he's eating her out of house and home. She says he's doing very well, no more nightmares and he's able to talk and remember Sam and Aurelan without pain. Ma talks about them often, especially Sam's childhood here at the farm. Shows him holos of Sam, of dad with both of us, of me and Sam, and of all of us doing things together. And of course Jonathon visits every Saturday and he was Sam's best friend, so he talks a lot about Sam too."

"Good, that's good for Peter to hear those stories." He looked keenly at Jim. "It's still real hard for you, isn't it?"

Jim nodded. "Very hard. Most of the time I think I'm over the worst of it, but then something happens to bring it all back to me. But I'll try harder, Bones. Sam meant everything to me and Peter needs to know that, needs to know what a great big brother he was, and how much fun we had together. I want to get past the pain somehow and talk happily about Sam, about the fun things we did here at the farm."

"It'll be good for both of you. It'll make Peter happy for you to talk about your growing up days here at the farm with your mom and dad, and later too, after you grew up, your adult relationship with Sam."

"I'll try to do that more, Bones."

"Let's go wait for Peter to come home from school. He'll be hungry and excited to see you." The two men went back to the kitchen to be greeted by the most delicious aroma. They looked at each other and grinned. Winona was baking cookies. Jim came up behind her and hugged her hard.

"Ma, are you baking cookies for Bones and me?"

"Certainly not," she dimpled at him. "These are for Peter's afternoon snack. Every afternoon when he gets home from school he eats two cookies and drinks a glass of milk, and most of the time it will tide him over until dinner. But," she smiled, "you and Leonard may have a couple while they're still warm and fresh from the oven."

"Ma, you're a saint," Jim told her, his hand already reaching out to the cookie tray. "What kind are they?"

"White chocolate chip and walnut cookies...it's a new recipe I'm trying out." She looked at the cookies a bit anxiously. "I hope Peter and his friends like them."

"Are you kidding? These are amazing," Leonard said munching happily. "The children will love them."

The three adults heard the school shuttle engine and all three faces brightened. "Peter is home, be ready to catch him," Winona told Jim, laughing.

Sure enough the small figure came flying through the back door dropped his school bag and threw himself at Jim! "Uncle Jim, Uncle Jim, you're home!" Small arms went around Jim's waist in a tight hug and Jim picked him up and swung him around. Winona and Leonard looked on indulgently at the two beaming faces and shining hazel eyes.

"Peter Kirk...you're getting heavy, pretty soon your old uncle won't be able to swing you like this," Jim told him, setting him down, but keeping an arm around the small body. Peter looked great, he'd gotten taller and put on a little weight too, a testament to his grandmother's good cooking.

Winona had told Jim that Peter had started baseball, joining the "A" Little League program, which delighted Jim. Sam had played baseball and Jim had too. Sam had coached him patiently, starting him way before Jim was old enough to join a Little League program. By the time he was able to join, he'd quickly become the star pitcher for his team. Peter was a pitcher too, as the wiry and muscled small arm Jim felt told him. "Building up your pitching arm, I can tell," Jim grinned down at the beaming freckled face.

"Yep, I'm practicing every day. I'm so glad you're here, Uncle Jim! You too, Doctor Bones."

Peter turned to hug Leonard who hugged him back affectionally. "How is second grade treatin' you, Peter?"

Winona smiled as she handed him a cookie and glass of milk. "Peter is a good student." She looked knowingly at her son. "He has his heart set on the Academy, so he knows working hard, getting good grades and learning good study habits counts for a lot when you want to enter the Academy. He's made up his mind to follow in the Kirk Starfleet tradition."

"Thanks, Noni." Peter bit into the cookie and his eyes widened. "These are new! They're real good!"

"Aren't they? I think the three of us will have to have another cookie, Ma." Jim grinned at his mother, totally unrepentant of his sweet tooth, completely ignoring Bones' mock frown. "Us Fleet men need our cookie fix now and then, right, Squirt?"

Peter nodded happily. Many years later as an officer in Starfleet, Peter would look back and remember this as one of the perfect moments of his childhood. The loving attention of his Uncle Jim, Dr. Bones' smiling blue eyes, Noni's fresh cookies and cold milk, and how happy and content he'd felt in that warm farmhouse kitchen.

"What do you say we go out to the barn and visit Ginger and Dapple, Squirt. They need their dinner and we'll take some sugar lumps and apples for the two of them. Spoil them a little bit. Afterward if there's time we might play a short game of catch."

"They're spoiled enough, Jim Kirk, and well you know it," his mother told him tartly.

It was true, Ginger had been with the family since Jim and Sam we're children, and George Kirk had bought Dapple for Winona for her birthday one year after she had admired a herd of donkeys at a nearby farm. The two were lovingly taken care of, ridden regularly, and spoiled thoroughly.

"You may go with your Uncle Jim, Peter, but don't stay out in the barn too long, you have homework to do, and if I remember correctly, a Friday spelling test, and you have to feed Sorrel who seems to be hiding somewhere."

"Aw, Noni. I know all my words already and Sorrel is in my room under the bed. He goes to hide when other people come in the house. He'll come out soon."

"Why don't you get your spelling list and I'll call them out to you while we're taking care of Ginger and Dapple," Jim suggested, smiling down at the sandy head.

The two grabbed their second cookie, the sugar lumps and carrots, then went out the back door. Winona and Leonard shared an indulgent glance. Leonard saw that Winona's hazel eyes were happy, clear, crystalline and beautiful, like the cat eye marbles he used to play with as a child.

"That child adores his Uncle Jim," Winona remarked. She sat down to eat a cookie and the two shared a moment of companionable silence.

"Goes both ways, Winona. Jim loves those Thursday vid calls with the two of you, and frets when we're out of range and he has to depend on vid letters. He's always thinkin' about you two."

"Hence this birthday party?"

"Hence this birthday party," Leonard nodded. "You should have seen how excited he was when the news came about the upgrade...he's still excited! We'll just have to hold him back a bit, the man does get carried away sometimes." Leonard's blue eyes twinkled. "But not too much," he added. "Fun's the best thing for him. He works too damn hard all the time and this will be real good for him. Good for Jim to leave thoughts of that ship back on the ship for a change," Leonard added.

"What about the ship?" Jim asked coming back in with Peter to get the baseball and glove.

"I was just wondering how often you'll have to go back to the ship and check its status," Winona interjected smoothly.

"Nope, can't go on the ship at all. All ship command functions have been transferred to Starfleet's Chief of Operations in San Fran, and after that to the Utopia Planitia Chief. No one's allowed on the ship for the next ten days. Including me," Jim stated, sitting at the table. "Not while they're removing the old engines, loading them for transport, and unloading them. Very delicate work, that."

"Really?" That was news to Leonard "How do you feel about that?" Leonard pulled his chair over to sit by Jim.

"I'm not happy about it," Jim admitted, "but I can still access work progress and status reports remotely, and I'll touch base every day with the CE about how things are going, but it was an order from the Chief of Operations." Jim looked a little lost at that. "So, here I am. And my girl is up there in someone else's hands."

"Bet Scotty's not happy about that either," Leonard mused, knowing Scotty's possessive love for the ship. It was a tie between Jim and Scotty as to who loved the _Enterprise_ most.

Jim gave him a tight smile. "If anything, he's more upset about it than I am." He sighed. "Well it can't be helped, and she'll be better than ever when we get her back."

"Exactly, and meanwhile we have a party to plan for," Leonard's voice and blue eyes carried a hint of warning for Jim. Forget the damn ship for a while and concentrate on your mother.

Jim got the message. "Ma, how are you coming with the party plans, do you need any help yet?"

"Not yet, dear. I've just started planning, but I'll let you know when I do."

Jim looked at the silent Peter. "Squirt, I want you to invite three or four of your friends too. That way you and Joanna will have someone to hang out with during the party, not just us boring adults." He ruffled Peter's head affectionately.

"Oh wow! Thanks Uncle Jim. I'll make a list to give to Noni. I can introduce Joanna to some of my friends." He ran out of the kitchen to grab his ball and glove.

"Homework right after catch, Peter Kirk," his grandmother called after him.

"Okay, Noni! I'm almost done with it."

"That made him happy," Leonard grinned at Jim.

"Made me happy too," Jim answered.

"Did he know his spelling words, Jim?"

"Knew then perfectly," Jim assured her. "Ma, Ginger and Dapple look great. Seems we're all getting older, but those two aren't."

"The vet was here not long ago and said they were both in great shape. For Peter and I to keep on doing what we're doing, taking care of them just like we've been, and they'll both live many more years."

"Seems that animals and small boys thrive under your care, Dr. Kirk." Jim flashed his sunshine smile at her. "Peter looks great and he's happy, I can tell. You're doing a fantastic job with him, Ma. Sam and Aurelan couldn't have done any better."

Sudden tears shone in Winona's eyes. "Thank you, darling, it means a lot to me to hear that from you. I'm trying to raise Peter like I believe Sam and Aurelan would have wanted me to."

Leonard cleared his suddenly constricted throat. "You just raise him like you did Jim and Sam, Win. You and George raised two fine men, no one could have done a better job of it," Leonard assured her. "Peter will turn out just as fine under your care, I'm positive about that."

"That's what Father Joe tells me frequently, but I worry nevertheless. It's not easy being a parent, much less a single parent, especially at my age," she smiled ruefully. "What I worry about the most is if something were to happen to me...," she held up a hand when Jim opened his mouth to protest. "What would happen to Peter then? You have your beloved ship, your Command, your sterling career, and Peter is still so young."

**—**


	4. Chapter 4

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake?**

**Chapter 4**

"**Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation." **

**Robert A. Heinlein**

Jim came around the table to sit by his mother. "Nothing and no one is more important to me than you and Peter, Ma. I'd give up Command, my ship, everything, if you or Peter needed me. You never, for one single second, have to worry about that." He looked steadily into the hazel eyes so like his own. "Are you hearing me, Ma?"

"I'm hearing you, Jim, but son, that would be so unfair to you. You've worked so hard, excelled in all your missions, your assignments, your Command. You have an even more brilliant career ahead of you."

"Ma...it's absolutely no contest. Peter comes first, last and in-between. Do you think I could look at myself in the mirror if I were to leave Peter's upbringing in someone else's hands? Hell no! That's never going to happen! Now you stop worrying about it, you have those Davis genes on your side, and barring a lightning strike or something else equally freaky, you're going to live to a grand old age. You'll see Peter's kids and maybe his grandkids too."

Winona looked so shocked that Leonard laughed. "Jim's right, Win. You're a 60 year old woman who barely looks 40, and you have the energy and stamina of a woman half your age. I'd say genetics are on your side."

Winona's cheeks turned pink. "Well...I don't know about that, Len, but thank you for saying it."

Peter came in with the ball and glove. "Uncle Jim, will you pitch some balls to me?"

"It's been a while, but I'm sure I can remember how to throw a baseball," Jim winked at Peter and they went outside.

Winona stood and looked around her kitchen. "You go relax in the living room, Len, while I finish my baking and plan our dinner...it's going to be a light meal since we had a big lunch. However, I have to give it some thought. As I said, these days Peter has a hollow leg. You go on now, shoo." She waved her hands as if Leonard was one of her chickens, and chuckling, he left her to sit in the living room.

Leonard got out his comm to write a long letter to Joanna telling her they'd arrived safely, how excited everyone was about her visit. Besides his weekly comm calls, Leonard wrote frequent letters to the child, adding the text to speech function to his letters. Joanna could read pretty well for a first grader, but she liked to hear her daddy's voice as she read his letters. All of his letters now went directly to Joanna, bypassing Jocelyn completely as had been explicitly stated in the new custody agreement. The Fleet lawyers had been extremely detailed and specific about Leonard's access to Joanna, and Jocelyn had had no choice but to sign the new, revised custody stipulations. Leonard had immediately gifted his little girl with a new state of the art padd so she could answer her daddy's letters by dictating her responses into her padd and sending them directly to him. Both of them were delighted with the new arrangement.

Jim and Peter came back inside and Peter went to do his homework. Jim sat back on the comfortable sofa cushions, and was soon engrossed in the fourth book of the Master and Commander series his mother had gifted him. He suddenly felt a warm furry body cuddle up next to him and heard a soft chirp. Sorrel, like all Abyssinians, didn't meow, but instead chirped to get his attention. The cat kneaded his paws on Jim's black pants.

Jim gently caressed the beautiful cat, stroking the thick ruff around his neck, the sign of a mature Abyssinian. "So you decided to come out of hiding, did you? You've grown, Sorrel, you're bigger than your mama now."

Sorrel chirped his affirmative just as Peter came in.

"There you are, Sorrel! Are you hungry? It's time for your dinner," he told his cat. "Oof, you're getting heavy."

"You're obviously taking good care of him, Peter. He looks healthy and beautiful. I think he's looking more like his mother now."

"I think so too. T'Lane sent me a new holo of Queen Cleopatra. She's had another litter, three kittens this time. That's when I noticed that Sorrel is looking a lot more like her now that he's grown. T'Lane, Mr. Sarek, and Lady Amanda are going to have to find homes for the babies, so T'Lane asked me to help."

"So have you found anyone yet? I don't think it'll be hard, they're beautiful cats."

"I was gonna ask Joanna first," Peter answered. "She told me she didn't have a pet and she wants one. I know she'd take good care of a kitten and I can help her learn how. T'lane said they'll be ready soon, at 12 weeks, and they'll have had their inoculations." He caressed his cat and looked up at Jim. "What do you think, Uncle Jim?"

Jim cast a swift glance at Bones who was still immersed in his letter and obviously hadn't heard Peter. "Hmm. I think it might work out. Let's see what Dr. Bones has to say about it."

Peter nodded, satisfied for now. He took his responsibility of finding a good home for one of Queen Cleopatra's kitten very seriously.

"Peter Kirk, go wash your hands and come set the table. Then it'll be time to gather in the chickens, sweetheart."

"I'm coming, Noni. Come on Sorrel, let's get your dinner."

Jim looked after him fondly. He smiled to himself wondering what Bones would have to say about the kitten. If Joanna wanted one, Bones would be hard pressed to say no to the adorable little girl, he thought getting back to his book.

"Leonard, Jim, dinner's ready," his mother called from the kitchen.

Jim hurried in. "Ma, why didn't you call me to help?" He looked at the table where the food was already set out.

"Peter always sets the table, dear, that's one of his daily chores, and our dinner is very simple. Split pea soup, grilled cheese sandwiches and fruit salad."

"Sounds great, Winona," Leonard said, coming in. "Jim and I will clean up afterward, and there will be no arguments from you, young lady."

Winona laughed. "All right, Len, if you insist."

"I most surely do insist," Leonard drawled, pulling out her chair.

After dinner and more cookies for dessert, Jim and Leonard cleaned up then joined Winona and Peter in the living room. Winona was looking through the cookbook Leonard had given her for Christmas trying to decide her dinner menu for tomorrow evening when Gavin, Violet and Davy would be joining them.

"I hope Father Joe will be able to come for dinner, Jim. He's been so busy, Peter and I have hardly seen him."

"Hope so too, Ma. It'll be good to see him."

There was a comfortable silence in the room, everyone deeply engrossed in their books.

Winona looked up at the old wall clock which had once belonged to Jim's grandmother. It was still ticking merrily. "Peter, it's time for your bath and then bed. You have school tomorrow."

Peter sighed and put down his book. He was reading up on the care of kittens so he could tell Joanna about them. "Okay, Noni, but I sure wish I could stay home with Uncle Jim tomorrow."

"I know, sweetheart. I wish you could too, but young men bound for the Academy can't afford to stay home from school, right Jim?

"Absolutely." Jim smiled at Peter. "Don't worry, Squirt, the weekend will be here after school tomorrow, and we'll be able to spend much more time together," he consoled the child. "Go on now, bath, and then I'll come tuck you in."

Jim came back smiling after tucking Peter in. "That child has the makings of a Fleet lawyer, he wanted to negotiate a later bedtime while I'm here. I gave in to 15 minutes later," he laughed, shaking his head "Is that okay, Ma?"

"It's fine. He's getting old enough for a later bed time. This will be a good transition. Would anyone like some coffee?"

"Thanks, Ma, in a little while. It's time for my daily check in with the Planitia CCE. I want to double check if the dismantling of the old engines is going okay. Scotty's probably already talked to him, so I might as well do it now. May I use your office comm? It has a much farther range than my hand comm, and it's encrypted."

"Of course, dear. Please use it whenever you need to, just log me out first." She sighed. "Fleet IT people come in twice a year to upgrade or change my unit. It's really not necessary and it's so expensive! More capacity, more encryption software, faster run time, more bells and whistles that I have to re learn. You'd think I worked for Starfleet Intelligence like Gavin."

Leonard looked at her sympathetically. "They do the same thing to my main medical comm, Winona. Just when I've learned 'bout all the latest upgrades, Spock sends in the computer nerds to upgrade again."

Jim laughed. "I'll call your upgrades, and raise you mine. I think my main Captain's comm gets upgraded monthly! Spock is diligent about it, says there are skilled hackers out there just waiting to get their hands on sensitive Fleet tactical, weaponry, and Engineering information, our encrypted codes too. Fleet medical information is at risk too, Bones...and as for your stuff, Ma, some of it is important research."

"I suppose it is important, Jim, but it's not Earth shattering information. Mostly it's routine research."

"Not always, Ma. Remember your computer was stolen once to access that plant research," he reminded her.

"That's true, I'd forgotten about that."

"I haven't," Jim said shortly as he went to Winona's office.

Winona looked soberly at his retreating figure.

"Jim doesn't take it well when you get injured or sick, Win. He doesn't deal well with anything negative that touches you or Peter," Leonard said softly.

"I know, Len, but that's not real life...things just happen that we have no control over. I've had to learn to control my worry about Jim, even more so now that Sam is gone. Jim has to learn to do that too."

"It's not gonna' happen, Win. He keeps his worry under control most of the time, but once in a while it gets the better of him. When I see it happening I intervene, subtly, you understand, but getting his concerns out of his head, verbalizing his worries does help him."

"You're such a good friend, Len. Jim's very lucky to have you." She saw the slight shadow that flashed over his face. "What is it?"

"It's nothin' really, Win."

"It's not nothing, Len. Something is wrong, I can tell. What's bothering you?"

Leonard cleared his throat. Maybe it would help if he talked about it to Winona. There was no one on the ship he could confide in except for Jim, and this was not something he could talk to him about.

"I'm probably overreactin' some, Win, but lately I've noticed that Jim and Spock are spendin' a lot more time together. And I don't mean as Captain and First Officer, I mean as in doing friendship things. I think Spock being here with all of us at Christmas was a sort of breakthrough for him. That cold blooded Vulcan seems to really like Jim now, although he'd never admit to that emotion, it's just not logical. Maybe he's unaware of what he's doin', Spock's pretty lousy at social skills, but I can see what's happening clear 'nough." Leonard's accent had thickened as he shared how perturbed he was about Spock's behavior.

"What can you see, Leonard?" Winona asked softly, looking at his troubled face.

"I can see how Spock is trying to get closer to Jim, and consciously or not, edging me out to take my place." Leonard felt his face flush. He felt ridiculous and embarrassed admitting this to Winona. But Leonard knew he was right about his observations.

Leonard was a trained behavioral psychologist. It was part of his job to be counselor, therapist, observer, mediator, and sometimes fatherly figure to the crew. He was a keen observer, always watching crew dynamics and an individual crew behavior. He'd been quietly observing Spock for a while now, since Christmas in fact, and whether Spock's behavior was deliberate or not, Leonard was sure about what Spock was trying to do.

Leonard knew that Jim's friendly overtures had perplexed Spock at first, but during this, the first year of his command, Jim's natural friendliness and charisma had gradually broken through the reserve and emotional barriers Spock had erected around himself. After spending Christmas leave at the Kirk farm, Leonard thought Spock had managed to achieve a sort of psychological breakthrough so that finally, he'd begun to respond to and reciprocate Jim's friendly overtures.

To Leonard's certain knowledge, Spock had never had a real friend, either at the Academy or on the ship. Like Kipling's cat, he had always walked alone. Now that he'd experienced Jim's friendship, it was obvious to Leonard that Spock didn't want to share it. In Leonard's opinion as a behavioral psychologist, Spock was smack dab in a young child's "you're my best friend and nobody else's" stage of social development. Spock had absolutely no experience in the give and take, the ebb and flow, the inclusiveness, of a deep friendship.

"Leonard!" Winona sounded shocked. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Win, I'm sure. It's been goin' on for a while now, ever since our Christmas leave. I'm also sure Jim's not even aware of it. He's cut down on our regular evening nightcaps so he can play chess with Spock, and there's been some other things too, he's canceled our gym workouts, and many of our usual lunches and dinners to spend extra time doing things with Spock. And there's been other things too...," Leonard trailed off.

Winona looked perturbed. "Like what, Len?"

"Like when Jim takes a break from the bridge and comes to Sick Bay just to shoot the breeze like he's always done, Spock will comm him that he's needed elsewhere. That's happened a lot, or when we get together to play cards, Spock will call Jim away for somtlhin' or other, somethin' trivial. So yeah in my mind, it's clear what's been goin' on."

"But Len, you and Jim have been best friends since his days as a green Lieutenant on _The Farragut_!" Winona protested. "No one could possibly replace you in Jim's affections. Have you talked to him about Spock's behavior?"

"No and I don't really want to, Win. Jim has become Spock's only friend. It's a real psychological breakthrough for the Vulcan to finally have a friend. I would never want to interfere with the emotional growth of his human side, the one he's always repressed as being illogical and too emotional. In my medical opinion, thanks to Jim, to you and Peter, Spock's beginnin'' to integrate his human and Vulcan selves and it's a huge positive step for him. In good conscience I cain't interfere with that. I guess I'm just gonna' have to step aside and give Spock the space to grow and see where the chips fall...but I sure miss hangin' out with Jim," he trailed off sadly.

"Len, no," she said gently, "I can see this is hurting you. Jim would hate that. I'm sure he's completely unaware of what's been happening, how you're feeling."

"'Course he's unaware, Win! Jim would never hurt me on purpose." He sighed. "I'm just hoping things will get back to normal after a while, that Spock will get through this stage soon, so I'm gonna' wait and see how things get on. That's why I was real glad Jim still wanted me to come with him."

"Of course Jim wanted you to come! You always come with him unless you're going to see Joanna in Georgia, then Jim goes with you. Len, please talk to him about this. You'll feel better if you do."

"I don't think I can, Win. I'd never want to make Jim feel guilty about how he spends his off duty time or his growing friendship with Spock. I'm a grown man, not some needy kid. I'll just spend more of my off duty time with Scotty, Sulu, and Ny, we're all real good friends. Friendships sometime ebb and wane, you know, and maybe this is one of those situations where our friendship is on the wane."

"That's nonsense!" Winona said angrily. "I don't believe that for a minute, Leonard McCoy. You mean the world to Jim, and don't you ever think otherwise."

"He means the world to me too, Win. You know how I lost everything after my marriage fell apart. My divorce was tough and I was a real mess. When Jim and me became friends on _The Farragut_, it was him who helped me out of my despair. I owe him everythin', my career, my mental health, my time with Joanna...more than I can ever repay."

"He owes you too, Len. You've saved his life innumerable times. Jim has told me so, after the fact, of course, trying to save me from worry, but he knows how much you've done for him through the years." Her hazel eyes looked steadily at him. "You don't have anything to worry about, Leonard, I'm positive about that. Your friendship with Jim will always be paramount with him."

"Whose friendship," Jim asked coming in from the office.

"Your friendship with Len, dear. I was just telling Leonard how happy I am that he comes with you to visit us. It's a testament to the strong friendship you share that he enjoys visiting Peter and me."

Jim's hazel eyes softened and he put a warm affectionate hand on Leonard's shoulder. "Absolutely. Bones and I always spend our shore leave together, done it for years. Vacations wouldn't be nearly as much fun otherwise, right Bones?"

Leonard grinned widely, his blue eyes twinkling at Jim. "Right. Just please don't share some of those shore leave antics we've gotten into with your mama, Jim Kirk."

Jim burst out laughing.

Winona stood smiling. "I doubt anything you tell me could shock me, Len, I've been a Fleet daughter, wife and mother too long for that. Now, let me go get us some coffee, I'll be right back."

As soon as Winona left the room, Jim's smile faded. He looked down at Leonard frowning.

"What's wrong, Jim? Somethin' botherin' you?" Leonard asked, hoping with all his heart Jim hadn't overheard his conversation with Winona. He'd already embarrassed himself enough for one day.

"I'm not quite sure, Bones. I just finished speaking with Chief Engineer McMillan on Planitia," Jim answered slowly.

"Another Scotsman?" Leonard asked quirking an eyebrow in amusement.

"Another Scotsman." He smiled tightly. "It seems like I've heard somewhere from someone, that Scotsmen make the best Engineers. Chief McMillan has a sterling reputation. I know for a fact Scotty knows him well and admires his expertise and you know that Scotty doesn't give compliments lightly. Anyway, he told me the removal of the warp core went very smoothly. The warp core will be ready to transport to Mars in a couple of days...," he trailed off.

"And...?" Leonard prompted.

"I don't know, Bones. There was something odd in his voice, some reticence there, like he was holding something back, something he didn't want to say, maybe information he didn't want to share with me over the comm. When I finished talking with him, I felt uneasy."

"Hmm. Do you have any idea what it could be, what he's concerned about?"

"No...I don't. According to Scotty, the warp core and impulse engines removal is pretty routine. It's an extremely careful, delicate operation, but it's done pretty frequently on Fleet ships." He sighed, his handsome face still troubled. "I was thinking of contacting Scotty tomorrow, seeing if he's talked with McMillan yet. Check to see if he got the same vibe I did."

"Good idea. It'll relieve your mind."

After serving with Jim for so long, Leonard had learned never to discount his hunches. He knew that Spock found even the mention of Jim's hunches highly illogical, but the doctor knew Jim's Command instincts seldom played him false. During the months of Jim's brief captaincy, Leonard had come to respect and firmly believe in Jim's gut feelings. If he was uneasy about his conversation with Chief McMillan, then something was amiss. So yeah, if Jim felt something was amiss, there was probably a good reason for it.

Winona came in with the coffee just then. Jim helped her with the tray, put aside his concern for now, and the conversation became general.

—


	5. Chapter 5

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake **

**Chapter 5 **

"**There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends.**

**I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature." **

**Jane Austen**

After coffee, Winona bid them goodnight and took herself off to bed. Jim promised to check on the animals and turn on the security shield. Jim insisted that she use the security shield every night and lock the back door when she was working in her office. Sheriff Jonathon Romaine seconded Jim's insistence, so under protest, Winona now did it.

Jim went to the sideboard, poured two night caps and brought one to Leonard. It was the genuine article, and Bones' favorite, Kentucky bourbon. His mother always had some on hand for when Bones visited.

"Thanks, Jim." Leonard took an appreciative sip and sighed contently. "It's been a good day, Jimmy. "Delicious food, great weather, good friends, and now my favorite drink. Man cain't ask for more than that." He smiled gently down into his drink.

"Bones?" Jim asked softly, his eyes on the dark amber drink in his hand.

"Hmm?"

"What were you and Ma discussing while I was talking to McMillan?" He asked, still not looking at Bones. He sat down on the sturdy coffee table directly in front of Leonard.

Leonard sighed. He should have known Jim would have cottoned on to somethin' being wrong. Nothin' ever escaped the man. "Jim..."

"Please don't tell me it's nothing, Bones." Jim's eyes finally lifted from the drink in his hand and looked at him worriedly. "I know you and Ma were talking about something serious, and I think it's about whatever's been bothering you. I know something has been and it's been worrying me, worrying me a lot. You don't usually keep things from me, unless it concerns patient confidentiality."

"Jim," Leonard said again. "I don't suppose you could just ignore it?" He asked hopefully.

"Bones," Jim's voice suddenly took on that hard edge that meant he would have an answer even if he had to wait all night.

Leonard took a deep breath. "All right, Jim, but promise you'll hear me out first and not interrupt, and I don't want you to feel like..."

"Like what, Bones?"

"Like you have to do anythin' about it," Leonard trailed off.

"Bones, just tell me." Jim told him, face now tight and anxious.

So Leonard did. He told Jim. Told him exactly what he'd told Winona. Told him his thoughts about Spock behavior, his medical opinion about the importance of Spock's psychological breakthrough and emotional growth, about being unwilling to disturb the slow fragile progress Spock was making towards becoming a more integrated being. Leonard told him everything...except about his own mixed feelings about the situation.

Jim sat quiet and attentive, soft hazel eyes intent on Bones' face until Leonard finished his narrative. He leaned over, grabbed Leonard's glass, went to the side board, and poured them both a refill. He handed the glass to Bones and still silent sat down again. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, pinning Leonard with an intense gaze.

"I knew something was wrong, Bones. Hell, the other evening when you came to my cabin, I remember thinking that we hadn't done that in a while, just sat and talked, enjoying a quiet evening together shooting the breeze. Even when I go to the Sick Bay it seems we're always interrupted. I asked myself why? Had we been so busy we hadn't had any time to spend together? Thinking about it, I knew that wasn't the answer." Jim set the glass down with a thump. "Why didn't you say anything about it, Bones, why didn't you talk to me?"

His blue eyes uncertain and a little sad, Leonard set his own glass down and met Jim's gaze. "I don't really know, Jim. Guess I didn't want to interfere if what you wanted was to focus your time and attention on forging a closer friendship with Spock...and you know that Spock and I, we only have a professional relationship, and it's a tenuous one at best, sometimes even contentious. Also, he's my immediate supervisor, so I didn't really know how to go about things." Leonard's cheeks pinked. "And I guess I was embarrassed, didn't want to intrude, force my way in, or come across as complainin' or needy, you know?"

Jim nodded in understanding. "I do know." He grimaced. "We manly men, sometimes it's hard for us to talk about this kind of stuff, but it's important stuff, Bones. We need to bite the bullet and do it, even if it's hard." He looked at Leonard warm affection lighting his hazel eyes. "I'm sorry, Bones. I'm sorry I neglected the most important friendship of my life in the pursuit of a new one."

"Jim." Leonard protested, even more embarrassed now. "No! You don't need to 'pologize."

"Yes, I do. It's true that I do want Spock to become my friend and not just be my XO. It's also true that I've been working hard to gain that friendship, and that I've seen some progress toward that end. But...you know how I am when I'm focused on a goal. I was completely unaware of Spock's behavior and the distance it was putting between us. I was just pleased that since Christmas here with us he seemed to be responding positively. Well," his lips tightened. "That stops now. You're my oldest and dearest friend, Bones McCoy. I depend on you in so many ways, your wise counsel, your medical expertise, your honesty, your unselfishness, and your big compassionate heart. You've been my conscience, my bartender, my confidant, my counselor. I'd sooner cut off my right arm than hurt you. I know why you didn't say anything. You're a healer first and foremost, you always put yourself and your needs last. Underneath that growly, grumpy exterior lies a marshmallow heart."

Leonard flushed and shook his head in protest, but Jim waved the protest aside. "It's the truth, don't bother to deny it. Anyone who knows you will agree with me. Just ask Christine, Geoff, Uhura, Scotty, your Sick Bay staff? Anyway, once we're back on the ship, I'm going to make sure things go back to the way things used to be with us."

"But, Jim, what about Spock? He's come a long way since Christmas, thawed quite a bit while he was here at the farm. Hell, he enjoyed himself, in spite of the cold. And when did that ever happen before? I sure don't want to cause a rift between you, and I sure don't want to set him back, have him turn back to that automaton he used to be."

"See? That's exactly what I mean. It's you I'm concerned with right now, Bones, not Spock." Jim shook his head ruefully. "Don't you worry about Spock." He gazed at Bones' troubled blue eyes. "Stop fretting about Spock. I'll handle it." He stood and pulled Bones to his feet and gave him a tight hug. "Come on. It's time for all Starship Captains and CMOs to get some rest. You know Ma and Peter will be up with the chickens, so we'll be woken up too. And I have to comm Scotty tomorrow. Hate to interrupt his time with his mom and sisters, but something doesn't feel right."

"Yeah, okay," Leonard sighed. "If you say so." Leonard gave it up. If Jim said it'd be fine, then Leonard was just gonna' stop worrying and believe him.

"I do say so. You go on, Bones, get ready for bed. I'm going to check on the animals and lock up."

Much later, still awake as he lay on the narrow twin bed that had once been Sam's, listening to Jim's soft breathing on the other bed, Leonard realized that the weight and worry he'd been carrying was gone. Winona had been right; he should've just talked things over with Jim. He'd been an idiot. Here it was the twenty third century, he thought ruefully, and he still had problems talking about something that dealt with feelings, with insecurity, with friendship. He was a psychologist for Pete's sake, a doctor, who should certainly know better. With the thought that, indeed, he certainly needed to do better, and chastising himself with a snorting refrain of "physician heal thyself," Leonard McCoy fell asleep.

Jim had been right, they did wake up with the chickens. With strong vocal protests, Peter, after feeding Sorrel, got ready for school. Jim sweetened the parting by offering to do Peter's chores. He and Peter walked to the end of the lane to wait for the school shuttle by the metal Kirk mailbox, the treasured antique that Winona carefully repainted red once a year. Jim cheerfully saw him off. The rural area school children, who knew very well who Jim was, grinned at him and waved enthusiastically at him through the windows, and Jim, smiling back, waved just as enthusiastically. Then he went in to the barn to feed Ginger, Dapple, and the chickens, gathering the eggs while he was at it.

Still smiling, Jim went back into the kitchen for his delayed breakfast and carefully handed his mother the eggs. "Well, that was harder to negotiate than some of those peace treaties I've had to sign." He shook his head ruefully.

Winona laughed. "I'm not surprised. Peter really didn't want to go to school this morning. We youre right, we might have a future Fleet Lawyer on our hands."

"He'll come in handy in a few years when you'll still have Komack houndin' you, Jim." Leonard chuckled.

Jim swatted at him. "Bite your tongue, Bones! I'm hoping Komack will be retired by then."

"From your mouth to God's ears," Leonard agreed. "Man's a pain in the a... um, sorry, Win, but he gives Jim a hard time, no matter what."

"I know, Len. I remember how he was with Gavin before the wedding. (**1**) Thank goodness Mrs. Nogura stepped in."

Leonard nodded. "Fine woman, that. Served Fleet with distinction. Nogura's lucky to have her by his side," he added.

"And well he knows it," Jim agreed, finishing his eggs and second cup of coffee. He glanced at the old clock and did some mental calculations. "I'll have to wait to comm Scotty, it's only 0100 in Scotland. I don't think he'd appreciate me waking him up at that hour." He felt Sorrel at his feet and gently scratched him between the ears. "Sorry, Sorrel, there aren't any leftovers for you."

"Wise decision," Len agreed, stretching his hand down under the table with a tiny bit of scrambled egg. He felt Sorrels' scratchy tongue as the cat daintily took the morsel. "Man does like his sandwiches...and his sleep."

"I think I'll saddle Ginger and go for a ride, Ma. Would you mind, Bones?"

"You go right ahead, Jim. I'll go make my bed, tidy up the room, and then Win and I can sit here and plan some of our future meals. I can help her with dinner prep too."

Winona beamed at him. "That would be lovely, Len. You and Mama Salvatore are the only ones I can discuss cooking with. You go on, Jim, have fun with Ginger. He needs a good long ride, Peter tries, but he's pretty busy to ride her for long."

Jim waved a genial goodbye at them and went out the back door.

She looked at Leonard critically. "You look better this morning, Len. You talked to Jim, didn't you?"

"Winona Kirk, how on earth do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Know I'd talked to Jim."

"Many years of being the only woman in a house full of men. I had to figure out many unspoken communications between them. I had a few failures, but...," she smiled gleefully, her dimple in full display, "I've had many more successes. What did Jim say?"

"He told me to stop worrying, that he knew something had been bothering me, and he's been real concerned about it. He told me how much he's always depended on me, that I'm his closest friend, and that nothin's ever goin' to change that. So we both felt a lot better after our conversation."

He finished his coffee and took his plate and cup to the sink. "Now then, what are you cooking for tonight, and how can I help you, Win?"

Winona looked into the steady blue eyes and smiled, acknowledging Leonard's wish for a change of topic. "I looked through a few recipes last night after I went to bed, and I decided on these. She handed Leonard her padd to look at. _Prosciutto Stuffed Meatloaf, Fresh green bean casserole, smashed potatoes, Lemon Meringue pie_.

"My mouth is watering' already, but what are smashed potatoes? Don't think I've ever heard of 'em."

"Peter likes his potatoes smashed, not mashed," she explained. "He told me Aurelan always fixed them that way, so of course I started making them for him like that too. They're a lot like mashed potatoes, but the potatoes are small ones, either new potatoes or red ones, boiled but not peeled and then smashed very lightly. Then I add the butter, cream cheese, salt, pepper and chives to the mixture."

"Sounds delicious."

"They are. Peter loves them." Winona looked around. "It's still too early for dinner prep, Len, but the house needs a bit of cleaning. If you wouldn't mind vacuuming and dusting the living room and dining room, I'll clean the bathrooms and get out Davy's high chair and toys. They'll need cleaning too. Why don't you put on some music for us to clean by? Something soothing."

"Know just the thing," Leonard told her. He got out his comm, put it on speaker mode and chose Mozart's Piano Concerto, no.21. It was beautiful, and the Adante movement was his particular favorite. When he had to do long surgeries, he played it in the operating room. Christine knew to have it available because Mozart never failed to move and focus him as he operated.

The beautiful music began to soar across the farmhouse as Leonard dusted and vacuumed the living and dining rooms.

"That's beautiful, Len," Winona called from the hall bathroom.

And that's the way Jim found them when he came in from his ride. Cleaning, dusting, and scrubbing, as the magnificent piano concerto came to its dramatic end. He stood there in the doorway looking affectionally at two of his favorite people.

Winona turned and saw him. She smiled as she saw his windswept hair, flushed face, and contented face. "There you are, sweetheart. Did you and Ginger have a good ride?"

"The best. Ginger did great going up the hill, Ma. I took it easy at first, but his endurance is as good as it's always been. He's still in great shape. We'll have to take Dapple out next." He looked at the two disheveled cleaners. "What have you two been up to?"

"Just tidying up for our company this evening." She grinned. "Getting ready for Hurricane Davy." She pointed to the mantle where she'd placed her treasured antique milk glass vases that had belonged to her grandmother.

Jim chuckled. "Can't wait to see the little guy. Let me go shower and I'll help too, Ma."

"We've finished cleaning, dear, but this afternoon you can set the dining room table for me. We'll use place mats and the Blue Willow. More homey that way, and I have an unbreakable plate and cup for Davy."

"I'll do that, be right back."

"After Len and I freshen up, I'll fix us a quick lunch."

After a long hot shower to get the kinks out, Jim joined them in the kitchen where they sat down to ham sandwiches, chips, sliced carrots and radishes fresh from Winona's vegetable garden. Sipping his sweet iced tea, Jim glanced at the kitchen clock. "I'm sure Scotty's awake by now, it's 0700 in Scotland."

"Leonard told me you thought there might be something wrong on the ship, son." Winona looked a question at her son.

"Maybe it's nothing, Ma. Just my rampant paranoia rearing its ugly head."

"Now, Jim, as your personal physician, I can assure you that you don't suffer from rampant paranoia. You worry overmuch now and then, but then who doesn't. Talk to Scotty. Either he'll set your mind at ease or confirm that uneasy feelin' you have that somethin's wrong."

"You're right, Bones." He looked down at his empty plate. "Let me go do it right now, get it off my mind. I'll be right back with a report."

They watched him go to the office, and Leonard shook his head. "I sure hope he's wrong, Win, but Jim's hunches are usually right on the money."

Jim closed the door to his mother's office and keyed in Scotty's code into his mother's comm. He waited as the comm chimed several times. "Montgomery Scott here," came the sleepy burr.

"Scotty, it's Jim. Sorry if I woke you up!"

"Captain, 'tis yourself is it? Is something wrong you're comming me so early?"

"I hope not, Scotty, but I wanted to talk something over with you. I spoke with Commander Chief McMillan yesterday about the warp core and impulse engines removal, how the yard dogs were progressing. Have you spoken him yet?"

"Nay, Captain. Thought it best to wait until this afternoon. By then the yard dogs will be a little more ahead on the removals. It's a slow tedious process, that is." Scotty's voice took on a tinge of alarm. "Is there something wrong with me wee bairns."

"Not that I know of, Scotty, but when I spoke with McMillan yesterday, he sounded off somehow."

"Off, Captain? Off how?"

Jim hesitated, thinking how best to describe the conversation. "The Chief sounded hesitant when I asked about the status the core and engines removal. He said it was going smoothly, but I don't know Scotty, I didn't have a good feeling after our conversation. I know you think McMillan is a top notch engineer..."

"That he is, the verrry best," Scotty paused. "It may be that he's even better than meself, Captain."

"Not possible, Scotty. There's no better CE than you."

"Thank ye, Sirr, but McMillan _is_ the best. He's an honest man too. If he found something wrong with the warp core or engines he would've spoken up right away, Captain. But, seeing as you're not at ease, would you like for me to speak with him, Engineer to Engineer, friend to friend. See what he tells me? No sense in us wondering if something be wrong, is there. Especially when we can find out right away by meself talking with him."

"That's what I thought too, Scotty. And I thought McMillan might be more forthcoming with information with you than he was with me."

"Aye, Captain. 'Tis best I talk with him. McMillan is a canny Scotsman, conservative in his ways and in his speech too. He won't say much aboot anything until he's sure. We won't jump the gun, though. I'll wait until our daily check in time like I told him I would."

"Good idea, Scotty. Don't want him to think we're over protective of our ship, right?"

Jim could hear the smile in Scotty's voice. "No, Sir. We don't want him to think that...," he paused. "Even if we are. I'll comm you later today, Captain. Scott out."

Jim went back to the kitchen. "Scotty is going to talk with McMillan this afternoon, Engineer to Engineer, he said." He sighed. "Maybe he'll find out what, if anything is going on. I'm just going to have to wait to see if I was right or not."


	6. Chapter 6

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake?**

**Chapter 6 **

"**But the wolf... the wolf only needs enough luck to find you once." **

**Emily Carroll**

After lunch, Jim set the dining room table and moved Davy's high chair close to where Peter usually sat. Davy loved Peter and would be happy sitting by him. Jim was really looking forward to seeing the toddler. He and Davy had a mutual admiration society going on. When he had the time after shift, he and Gavin kept in touch by comm and Violet and David often joined in the conversation. Davy loved any talk about the ship, the "Prise" and "Ji" were two of his favorite things to babble about. Violet had put up a large poster of the ship on the wall above Davy's crib so he could go to to sleep looking at the _Enterprise_.

He finished setting the table, checked it over to be sure everything was how his mother liked, and began to pace restlessly wondering what time Scotty would comm. He wanted Scotty's information about the ship, and he wanted it before dinner. He didn't want to be distracted and could enjoy his time with Gavin, Violet, Davy and Father Joe.

As if conjured up by his wish, his comm beeped. "Kirk here," he said, after almost dropping it in his haste to answer it.

"Captain, 'tis Scott. Can you hear me all right? Is this a good time for yea? I have spoken to McMillan."

"Yes, I can hear you fine, Scotty, and it's a good time," Jim said making his way to his mother's office. "What did he say, Scotty? Is the removal of the core and impulse engine going all right, have there been any problems?"

"Nay, Sir. Our bonny lady is right as rain, the removal is proceeding as it should, however, McMillan is troubled, and rightly so."

"Troubled? Troubled about what? I don't understand?"

"It seems, Captain, that Chief McMillan has been receiving threatening letters, not threatening to him, yae understand, but threatening to the ships under his watch at the shipyard."

"What?"

"Aye, three letters so far...threatening to destroy or sabotage the ships who are at the shipyard for maintenance or upgrading. McMillan is verry worried, verrry worried indeed. Of course, he reported the first threatening letter to Starfleet Security immediately, and since then too, the others he's received. SF Security's been looking into it, but they haven't gotten anywhere. It seems the person or persons who are doing it are highly skilled with computers. Messages come to McMillan's comm at random and they come from servers that bounce them around everywhere, even from off planet, untraceable so far. Security changed his comm code, made it more secure, but to no avail. They kept his old code is active you see, and they thought they could catch the sender that way, but it dinna' work. Somehow the sender got hold of his new code.

McMillan received the third letter yesterday, in fact just before your comm to him, Sirr, that was why he sounded like he did. This time the letter was specific enough to alarm him considerably. It said they knew _Enterprise_ had come in for upgrades, and the letter explicitly threatened our lady. McMillan told me a wee bit of what it said. They called our ship a war mongering machine, a ship of death, a harbinger of violence, a monstrous evil...said _Enterprise_ should be destroyed along with all the other ships in the Fleet." Scotty sounded completely outraged. To think anyone could say that about his beloved ship made him furious. "The letter said this person has been thinking of doing this for a long time, t'would be for the benefit of all Federation beings, and that he finally decided to do it.

He bragged that his sabotage plan is flawless, that no one will find or catch him, that he's much smarter than anyone in Fleet who would look for him. He said he'll be two steps ahead of whoever tries to find him." Scotty huffed a deep breath of frustration. "All the ships at both shipyards are being closely guarded and McMillan said Admiral Mattea Hahn, Chief of Starfleet Operations, has been apprised of the situation. It seems the Admiral is in charge of the refit program of all Fleet Constitution vessels. McMillan told me it'll be the _USS Constellation _next, then the _Defiant_. He said Admiral Hahn put both ship yards on high alert, Captain."

Jim whistled, shocked. "Sounds like some sort of egomaniac nut case to me, Scotty."

Jim heard Scotty curse under his breath, obviously upset about McMillan's report.

"Aye, to me as well, Sirr, but that does nae mean there's no danger to the ships. Yae know as well as meself, Captain, an obsessed mind, a mad being, can wreck havoc on our ships. We've come across a couple of crazed mad egomaniacs. T'were not pleasant, those couple of missions."

"They certainly weren't." Jim agreed somberly, remembering those missions fraught with danger and violence. "Do you think the ship is in actual danger, Scotty?"

"I asked that verry thing to McMillan, and all he could say is that all the ships at both ship yards that are being worked on are being closely guarded, day and night, which I think answers the question, Sirr." Scotty paused for beat. "So, Captain, what are your thoughts? Is our bonny lass in danger?"

"It's hard to say right now, Scotty, but at least the shipyards are forewarned and heavy security is on hand. Ma has invited Gavin Bradford and his family for dinner tonight. Let me talk this over with him. SIS may have already heard about this threat, it's hard for me to believe they haven't. You know SIS has feelers out across the Federation, they usually know more than the rest of us."

"Aye, and that lad is mighty good at his job."

"He is. I'll get back to you, but probably not until tomorrow. Meanwhile you keep in close touch with McMillan, or anyone else you may know at the Planitia Shipyard or San Fran. I must confess I'm worried about our ship, and the other ships too."

"Aye, meself too. I'll talk with you later, Captain. Scott out."

Jim closed the comm and sat down in his mother's desk chair to think. What he needed to do was talk with Bones about this threat to the ships. See if he could shed some light on the psychology behind this kind of threat. What could possibly motivate some one to go to such lengths, threatening the destruction of all of the largest ships in Starfleet? Those shops were the first line of defense should trouble or war ever come to the Federation. Bones was an excellent psychologist, and his insight would be invaluable. Jim took himself to the kitchen.

Winona and Bones were busily working on some early prep for dinner. They both looked up as Jim came in.

"What did Scotty have to say?" Bones asked wielding the sharp knife he was using slicing the fresh green beans.

Jim stepped back.

"Oh, sorry, Jim." He out the knife down. "Did Scotty find out anythin'?"

"Yes, and I want to talk to you and Ma and Gavin about it after dinner, but Peter will be home soon, so after he and Davy go to bed we'll all sit down to discuss it."

Winona kept a portable crib, high chair, and toys once belonging to Sam, Jim and Peter, for Davy to use when he visited. He was so active and played so hard that he would wear himself out soon after lunch or dinner. Gavin or Violet would put him down either for a nap or to sleep overnight, if they stayed to visit with Winona and Peter.

"Is it serious, son?"

"It might be, Ma. Too soon to tell yet." He cocked his head. "I hear the school shuttle. I'll go to the shuttle and meet Peter."

"Peter will love that, so will the other children. I'll fix his snack."

"What about a snack for us big boys, Ma," Jim grinned at her.

"Cookies and milk for everyone," Winona laughed. "Now go on, go get Pater. Oh, Jim dear, Father Joe commed that he will be here for dinner. He really wants to see you. He said his housekeeper baked an apple pie for our dessert. So we're having that instead of the lemon merengue. I promised him vanilla ice cream with it."

Jim laughed. Father Joe had a notorious sweet tooth. His housekeeper was a great baker and kept him supplied with all sorts of pastries. Jim envied him the fact that he never seemed to gain an ounce, probably because he worked so hard. Some of his parishioners and Winona too, concerned about his heavy work load, urged him to slow down, but so far those urging had fallen on deaf ears.

As his father's best friend, Jim had known Father Joe his whole life. He and George Kirk had grown up together, played baseball together, gone through Riverside schools together. When high school graduation came, George Kirk went straight to the Starfleet Academy, and Joe O'Brian left to go to the seminary. Although far apart in distance and vastly different career choices, their close friendship never faltered through the years. When George Kirk died, Father Joe, although grieving himself, had been a great comfort and support to the heartbroken Kirks, and after Sam and Aurelan's deaths, he had assured Jim he would always be available to help Winona and Peter. And so he had been. With Jim away most of the time, it was comforting for him to know that Winona and Peter had good friends like Father Joe, Jonathon Romaine, the Salvatores, and Violet and Gavin, close by should they be needed.

The rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly. Len and Winona in the kitchen were happily discussing southern cuisine while immersed in food prep. Jim and Peter left them to it, and went to the living room to play a game of chess and discuss the vagaries of baseball, Little League, memorable baseball games, and the strangeness of some umpire decisions. Jim was pleased to see that Peter's chess moves had improved. Peter told him his coach had attended a chess coaching school and had returned with some new strategies and tricky moves. He told Jim Mr. Spock agreed they were strategically correct. By the time they finished their game, good smells were already coming from the kitchen.

"Peter," Winona called from the kitchen. "You'll need to feed the animals early today, but don't feed the chickens. You know how Davy loves to feed them. Then give Sorrel his kibble so he can go hide before Davy gets here. After that please take a quick shower, sweetheart, put on your new shorts and t-shirt, it's a nice warm evening. Jim dear, will you get the ice bucket out for the wine? I'm going to take a quick shower, then put the meatloaf together and put it in the oven."

"Anything else I can do to help you, Ma?"

"Leonard knows where the appetizers are, so please put those out on the sideboard next to the small plates."

"On it, Ma."

Jim and Leonard took care of last minute tasks, Peter showered, dressed and went to the barn, and Winona put the meatloaf in the oven. Soon enough the back door slammed, and an excited baby voice was heard. Sorrel lifted his tail in alarm, and ran to Peter's room. "Sounds like Davy's here," Jim laughed, heading toward the kitchen. Davy, in Gavin's arms, spotted him immediately.

"Ji, Ji!" He yelled, at the top of his lungs, holding out his arms

"Hi, hi, hi," Jim grinned, leaning in to hug Violet and Gavin, ruffling Davy's blond curls as he took him from Gavin.

"God, yes," Gavin groaned. "Take him! If I had to listen to " Ji, Ji", one more time, I was going to turn right around and take him home to the baby sitter." He kissed the blond curly head and gave the happy toddler to Jim.

Davy hugged him tight around the neck and Jim kissed the soft rosy cheek. "Hey, little buddy, great to see you." He shifted Davy to his other side to give Violet a soft kiss too.

Violets big brown eyes shone with delight. "So good to have you home, Jim Kirk, you vacabond. Winona and Peter were so excited when they found out you and Len were coming and that you were planning a big birthday party for your mom. I'm available to help, I can even take a few days off if need be. Davy's in Day Care so it's not any problem to come and go from home morning and afternoon."

"Thank you, Violet," Winona said, overhearing her offer. "I may need you, dear," she added giving her and Gavin an affectionate hug.

"Ma, Ma," Davy crowed reaching for her. Jim handed him over. "Fickle baby," he laughed at Violet.

"Davy knows who bakes him delicious things, don't you, Davy?"

Father Joe arrived soon after, carefully carrying the pie which Leonard promptly confiscated to put in the cooler and they went into the dining room for drinks and appetizers. Peter took Davy out to feed the chickens, his favorite thing to do, throwing the chicken feed through the wire enclosure. Then they went to pet Dapple and Ginger. There was a small step ladder in the barn for Davy to stand on with Peter carefully holding on to him. The gentle Dapple daintily took the sugar lump from the small hand held out to him. Peter fed the much taller Ginger, because even on the ladder Davy could not reach.

Dinner was delicious, everyone enjoying second helpings of everything. Conversation became general and lively, and afterward they relaxed in the living room with the children and their pie and coffee. By 7:30, Davy's eyes blinked tiredly and Violet changed him for bed and put him down in the crib to sleep. Peter decided he'd watch a holo in his room, and excused himself.

"Put your pajamas on, Peter, and you may stay up until 9:30 or 10:00 to finish your movie. Come say goodnight before you go to sleep."

"Thank you, Noni, I sure will!" Peter grinned, leaving quickly before his Noni changed her mind.

Winona refilled their coffee cups and they settled in to hear about the threatening letters to the Starfleet ships and his conversation with Scotty and McMillan. There was silence after he finished. "Gavin, has SIS heard any scuttlebutt about these letter? I know your agency has eyes and ears everywhere."

"Not everywhere, Jim," Gavin responded, "True we do get a lot of intel, but I haven't read or heard about any intel on those letter threats, which does surprise me a little. Planitia and San Fran fleet yards are of vital importance to Fleet and the Federation and now I'm wondering why Admiral Hahn hasn't brought us in to investigate."

"Scotty said the Planitia Security Department are investigating," Jim said, "Maybe Admiral Hahn will call you in later, if Security doesn't find out anything. SIS has more experienced people and better ways of tracing hackers, Hahn would do well to put Sonnai Connolly on the job."

"There's no one better than Sonnai. He's the best," Gavin agreed.

"What I don't understand is why anyone would fixate on destroying Fleet ships. They're our first responders if there's trouble or a threat to the Federation and they help to keep the peace across the quadrant?" Father Joe looked puzzled. "It doesn't make any sense."

Jim glanced over to Leonard and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Bones, you're awfully quiet, what are you thinking?"

"I agree with Father Joe. True it doesn't make sense in the minds of normal beings. But from the scenario you've described, Jim, this person or persons seems to be in the throes of an idée fixe—a fixed idea, which has taken over his entire psyche. On the surface that fixed idea might seem reasonable to the disturbed person and to the other people they might have convinced, but that sort of obsession eventually completely controls their thinking and life. We've seen that before, haven't we?"

Jim and Gavin eyed each other, faces somber thinking about some of their missions.

Leonard put down his coffee cup. "The _idée fixe_ resembles what we doctors, medically, call an obsessive compulsive disorder and although the afflicted person can think, reason, and act like other people, they are unable to stop a particular train of thought or action. Without treatment and psychiatric intervention, recovery is rare, even non existent. Also, without intervention the illness escalates, until the person can't really function without giving in to that fixed idea. There are good meds that can help with the disease, along with intense cognitive therapy. We've found that together the two pronged treatments have excellent results. From what you've described, it doesn't sound like this person has been in any sort of treatment."

"But Leonard," Winona protested. "Don't you think these threats might be an act of terrorism?"

"I doubt it, Win. The letters don't threaten any person, just the ships, inanimate objects which in their mind are what harms people. It appears the obsession is fixated in savin' people by destroyin' the ships."

Jim rubbed his forehead. "You're right, Bones. So far it's only the ships that have been threatened, which I guess is better than threats to Federation citizens."

"I'll check with my team to see if they've heard anything, Jim, and with my boss too. He's privy to information from higher ups. He might have already been made aware of the situation. I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Gavin." He glanced at his mother. "I may end up going to Planitia to check on the ship sooner than I anticipated, but we'll see."

The conversation became general after that. Father Joe looked at the time, stood, thanked Winona for a delicious dinner and wished everyone goodnight. Gavin went to the crib, picked up the sleeping Davy, said goodbye to Leonard, and gave Winona an affectionate one armed hug. Violet too, hugged her tightly, promising again to come help with the birthday party. Jim walked with them to the back pasture to their runabout. The spring night was cool and cloudless, the stars were shining overhead, the dim light of the waning moon not diminishing their brilliance. Jim took Davy from Gavin's arms, softly kissed the baby's curls, and carefully strapped him in his shuttle seat. He closed the shuttle door after Violet got in, stood back as Gavin took off, and watched as the shuttle rose and disappeared.


	7. Chapter 7

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake?**

**Chapter 7**

"**A sick thought can devour the body's flesh more than fever or consumption." **

**Guy de Maupassant**

Saturday morning dawned cool and clear, Iowa spring weather at its finest. Jim woke to the sound of his mother already preparing breakfast. He checked his comm and to his surprise saw it was already 7:30. He seldom got the chance to sleep late on the ship, even on his off shifts, there always something needed his attention. He glanced at the other bed and saw that Bones was still asleep. If anything, the doctor got even less of an opportunity to sleep in. Bones was always on call for Sick Bay whether he was off shift or not. Jim decided he'd take his shower first, and wake Bones afterward. Jonathon would be here at 9:00 am for his weekly Saturday brunch visit with Winona and Peter.

It eased Jim's mind that Jonathon came to the farm every week to spend time with Winona and Peter. Although Riverside was a peaceful, friendly town, the farm was pretty isolated, far out from the town limits. Jonathon's imposing presence, his uniform and badge, served, in Jim's opinion, as a powerful deterrent to any possible trouble makers. Father Joe, Serena, Mama Salvatore, and Gavin also kept in close touch with Winona; they were great, loyal, caring friends, but they were all busy hard working people. For Jim, Jonathon's regular Saturday morning visit was heaven sent. The fact that Jonathon had been Sam's best friend, also gave Peter a connection with someone outside of his immediate family who'd known his father intimately, and had many fun stories to tell about their school days.

Jim got out of the shower and shook Bones gently to wake him up. "Jonathon's coming at 9:00, Bones. Thought you'd like to be up and dressed to visit with him at brunch. I'm going out to feed Ginger and Dapple and bring the eggs in. Mom lets Peter sleep in on Saturday mornings."

Leonard stretched, yawned, and swung his pajama clad legs down to find his slippers. "I'll be ready in a jiffy, Jim. Thanks for wakin' me. Was dreamin' about bakin' pies," he chuckled. "All of your ma's good food has inspired me."

Winona had already set the table and was stirring some batter in the big yellow china bowl Jim remembered from his childhood. That yellow bowl always promised good things to eat for the Kirk boys and their dad.

"Morning, Ma. Smells like something good is cooking." He sniffed and gave her an affectionate kiss on her curly hair.

"Good morning, son. Waffles and sausages this morning. Peter and Jonathon both enjoy the combination. Fresh fruit, orange juice, and coffee too."

"Bones and me enjoy the combination too, Ma. You're really spoiling us, Dr. Kirk."

"I love spoiling you, sweetheart, all three of you."

"Well, we sure love being spoiled," Jim grinned at her. "I'm going out to feed the animals and get the eggs."

"That'll please Peter to no end."

By the time Jim finished the barn chores, and brought in the eggs, Jonathon and Bones were already at the table drinking their first cup of coffee. Jonathon stood to give Jim a hearty handshake and a warm one arm hug. "Great to see you, Jim. Heard you got some unexpected time off close to Winona's birthday, also heard about the birthday party plans. I'll be happy to help with anything you need. Remember I have an empty bedroom with twin beds if you need extra accommodation for guests."

Jim returned the hug affectionately. He'd known Jonathon as far back as he could remember. "Great to see you too, Jonathon. It's always good to be back in Riverside. And yes, thanks, we will probably need those beds, and we'll call on you for sure if we need extra help." Jim grabbed a mug and filled his cup. "Sit down, Ma," he said pulling out a chair for her. "I'll serve us."

"Leonard's been catching me up on the situation with the Fleet ships, sounds like a real nut job to me," Jonathon told him.

"To me too, Jonathon. But it's worrying nevertheless, nut jobs, crazed individuals, obsessed beings, are always worrying." Jim responded, as he served the sausages and waffles. There was a brief silence as they began to eat hungrily. "Delicious," he mumbled, mouth full. "Ma, did you set some aside for Peter?"

"Of course I did. The food is in the warmer whenever he wakes up. I let him sleep in as long as likes on Saturday mornings unless he has a baseball game. That child is always busy."

"Good. I'd hate for him to miss out on this delicious food. I may have to go to Planitia to check on the ship," he added to Jonathon. "Find out directly from the Planitia CCE exactly what's going on."

"You want me to search my data bases for any similar threats or any possible perpetrators? We get a lot of "Wanted" or "Suspicious Activity" notifications from all over, Federation, SIS, bigger cities' law enforcement, Fleet Security. All the Sheriffs and Police Departments in rural areas and smaller towns do. Hard to keep up with them all, but we try. It's easier for suspects to hide where there are less police officers or SF Security nosing around. Sometimes it's the least likely beings you'd suspect who are the lawbreakers and hiding in small towns.

"I'd appreciate any help, Jonathon. Gavin said he would put Sonnai Connolly on it too. Not that I'm involved in the investigation in any way, but it is my ship that's being threatened. If I do go, it'll be a short trip, don't really want to get in their way, but I want to know exactly what's going on."

Winona and Leonard exchanged knowing glances. As if Jim would sit back and do nothing if his beloved ship was in jeopardy...and whether he was in the way or not, wouldn't make bit of difference.

"I would think that it'd be a lot easier to spot aberrant behavior in a small town or community, Jonathon?" Leonard looked at him a puzzled look on his face.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you, Len, but that's not always the case, especially if the person has lived in that community for a while. Mostly in small towns or rural communities there's a "live and let live" attitude, unless someone is causing trouble, is violent, or obviously breaking the law. Eccentric or reclusive behavior is simply more tolerated in small towns. How many times have we seen stories on the holo nets about wanted fugitives hiding in small towns, or farms, in plain sight of neighbors and law enforcement, sometimes for years? Friends, neighbors, even family, are completely shocked when the truth comes out."

Leonard nodded, looking thoughtful. "Yeah, you're right, I remember a couple of incidents like that in Georgia. We had some pretty strange people living in our small communities, and nobody thought a thing about it, just accepted it." He turned to Jim. "You know Jimbo, last night I was thinkin' back to some of my Psychology degree classes. We read many case studies of disturbed individuals. From what you've told us about those letters, about how the writer described himself as smarter than anyone else, the sense of superiority that they expressed, I do believe it's what we psychologists call an internal illusion about himself. This kind of superiority complex is how a disturbed individual, who in reality suffers from an inferiority complex, uses as a method of escaping from his psychological issues. Like in the letters, he talks as if he's all-knowing, smarter and better than everyone else, but if you notice, he doesn't really care if anyone else thinks so. He's totally fine being unknown, all he cares about is getting his fixed idea out there. Another thing, these disturbed people will refuse to listen to anyone else and don't care about who disagrees with their behavior or philosophy. Psychiatric therapy is real difficult in these types of cases, because you cain't really reason with them, or convince them there's anything wrong with them."

"That's very interesting, Len. Also, it seems to me, dangerous and scary," Winona added.

Leonard nodded. "It is and they are. You might want to mention all this to Gavin, Jim, or to Chief McMillan to pass on to the Security team. One of their profilers may find it's useful information. Mind you, I'm just speculating', until you have the individual in front of you as a patient you cain't know for sure." He shook his head. "It's gonna' be real tough to find this person."

"It makes sense, Bones, and your medical instincts are usually right on the money."

Peter came in just then, hair still tousled still looking sleepy, so the conversation became general as he sat down to eat his breakfast.

"I have to go into town to do some grocery shopping," Winona told everyone, looking into her pantry. "I want to go early before the crowd of shoppers gets there. It shouldn't take me long."

"I can take you, Win," Jonathon volunteered.

"And I'll pick you up when you're ready to come home, Ma. Just comm me. It'll give me a chance to say hello to a few folks in town."

"Perfect. I'll be ready in a few minutes, Jonathon. I just want to clean up here first."

"You go on with Jonathon, Ma. Bones, Peter and I will clean up the kitchen. Don't rush either; take your time with your shopping. We'll fix lunch too."

Jonathon said his goodbyes promising to let Jim know if he found anything in his data base and he and Winona left.

"Uncle Jim is it okay if Thrax and Jose come over to ride bikes and we can pitch and catch some balls? They're on my baseball team."

"Of course, Peter, and...," he smiled at the child, "there are plenty of cookies left for all of you."

"Thanks, Uncle Jim! I'm gonna go comm them." He ran off to use Winona's comm, Sorrel following close behind.

Jim and Leonard cleaned the kitchen and adjourned to the living room, Jim to work on his never ending reports, and Leonard on his medical supply list, which, Jim informed him, he had Carte Blanche to add to. Opportunities like that didn't come often, and Leonard was going to make the most of it.

Soon the two men could hear the sound of laughing children outside. They smiled at each other and Jim got up to look out the window at the playing children. Two little boys and one little girl, were laughing and screaming like banshees, obviously having a lot of fun.

Jim's comm pinged and he looked at the ID. "Spock," he told Bones, flipping open his comm. "Kirk here."

"Captain. It is good to hear your voice."

Leonard raised an eyebrow, turning to face Jim.

"Likewise. Mr. Spock. What can I do for you?"

"I have completed the task my father assigned ahead of schedule, and as my father has no further need of me, I am now free to visit with you and your family."

"That's great Spock. Happy you can come sooner than expected. However, I'm afraid that farmhouse accommodations are full. Joanna is coming, so is Nyota, and Violet is also coming with Davy. She's taking a few days off to help Ma with the birthday party. However, just this morning, Jonathon Romaine offered his extra bedroom, so you're welcome to stay with him. I know he'll be happy to have you."

Leonard opened his mouth, but Jim held up his hand and gave him a stern glance.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the comm. "Captain, Dr. McCoy is better acquainted with Sheriff Romaine than I. Perhaps it would be best if he stays with Sheriff Romaine, and I would then be able to stay with you. To me that seems the most practical and logical option."

Leonard briefly closed his eyes, and waited for Jim's response.

"No, Spock. I'm afraid that's not going to happen. Bones is staying here at the farm. First, because Joanna is coming here, second, because he and I have always spent our shore leaves together, and third, because Ma wouldn't stand for him staying somewhere else. She and Bones are having a great time discussing cooking, recipes, and menus. But like I said, you're welcome to stay with Jonathon, or if you'd rather not, or think you'd be more comfortable in a hotel, there's a good one in Riverside."

"I see." There was another silence over the comm. "If that is the case, I will have to consider my options, Captain, and let you know my decision." Spock's voice had taken on that particularly impassive and monotone voice he used when he was irritated or highly displeased.

"Of course, Mr. Spock. There's no rush. Just let me know what you decide. We'll all be happy to see you whatever you decide. Kirk out."

"Jim," Leonard looked at him, his face troubled. "I could've gone to stay with Jonathon so Spock could stay here. It's true he doesn't know Jonathon as well as I do."

"Not on your life." Jim's voice took on that definite clipped tone that meant his decision was final. "As soon as Spock suggested that you stay with Jonathon, I saw exactly what you were talking about. I just hadn't noticed it before and I'm sorry as I can be that I was so oblivious, Bones. I'm happy Spock commed, because his call was the perfect opportunity to underscore with him that you have a special place in my life, and that's not ever going to change. Also, for him to understand that you hold a special place in Ma's life, and Peter's too. Nothing and no one is going to change that. We both know that Spock's not good at understanding social cues yet, but I'm sure this one he got. Part of his personal and professional growth has to come from learning to interact with other beings, like Jonathon for example, making friends with others, not just me, and not just on the ship."

"You know," he added thoughtfully, "I think Captain Pike and Number 1 just left him to his solitary ways and never intervened by making him mingle with anyone on board. That's not the way things are going to be done on my ship. However, it's his decision about what he wants to do about his visit here to the farm."

"He didn't like it, Jim, I could tell." Leonard said, still looking troubled.

Jim sighed. "I know he didn't, Bones, but it had to be done." He placed an affectionate hand on his shoulder. "Now, I want that soft heart of yours to stop worrying about Spock. He's learning. I'm not saying it will be easy for him, but he'll be fine. He is half human after all, and look how far he's come since Christmas. I think being here with all of us really opened his eyes to human dynamics."

"That's true," Leonard murmured, still looking dubious. Not for worlds would he want Spock to regress to the wooden, emotionless self that he'd been a few months ago when their mission started, but he had to admit, that as much as he liked Jonathon and enjoyed his company, he felt relieved that he was staying here at the farm. With Joanna coming, it would have meant going back and forth, missing time with her, and truth be told he was happy Jim wanted him to stay here.

"Come on, let's go pitch some balls with the kids and then we'll fix lunch. Maybe I'll hear something from Gavin this afternoon."

They pitched balls with the delighted children until it was lunch time. Jim fixed tomato soup and ham sandwiches, gave the kids cookies to munch on, and sent them back outside to play. Winona commed that she was ready to be picked up and Leonard offered to stay with the children while Jim flew to Riverside.

In the living room, Leonard could hear Jim's comm beeping frantically. Jim had taken it off and forgotten it on the coffee table. Leonard looked at the ID and saw it was Scotty.

"Scotty, it's McCoy. Jim forgot his comm, but he'll be back soon. He flew to Riverside to pick up Winona. Can I give him a message?"

"Aye, McCoy, tell him to comm me immediately when he gets back. T'is mighty important I speak with him. I'll be waiting for his comm. Scott out."

Leonard's stomach sank. To his ear, Scotty, usually the most sanguine of men, sounded agitated and stressed. He hoped Jim wouldn't take long coming back.

"Dr. Bones," Peter called from the kitchen door. "My friends have to go home now."

"Coming, Peter." He went outside to say goodbye to the children, and glanced up to see if he could spot Winona's runabout returning. There was nothing to see. The children politely thanked Leonard for lunch and the cookies, and he watched them bicycle away.

"Your friends are real nice, Peter. If they're the ones you're invitin' to the party Joanna's gonna' like them."

"I asked them today, Dr. Bones. They're going to ask their moms. I still have to ask Melanie, though. She's also on my baseball team. She's an awesome batter, the best one on the team. Thought it'd be nice for Joanna to have another girl at the party," Peter confided seriously.

Leonard's lips twitched. "That's real thoughtful of you, Peter. I'm sure JoJo will appreciate havin' another little girl here."

They looked up as they heard an engine approaching the farm, and watched as Jim landed the runabout. Thankfully, Jim and Winona were back and Leonard could pass on Scotty's message.

Peter ran to greet them with Leonard following more sedately. Peter grabbed one of Winona's shopping bags, Leonard grabbed another, and Jim the third.

"Boy, Noni, you bought a lot of food," Peter said peeking into the filled bags.

"You three men eat a lot," Winona retorted, her dimple flashing. "Just wanted to be well prepared."

"Jim, Scotty commed. He said to comm him back as soon as you got back. He sounded really agitated. You know how his brogue gets thicker when he's stressed."

Jim frowned. "I realized I'd forgotten my comm after I took off. I wonder if something's wrong."

"I think something must be wrong. You go on, Jim," Leonard told him, grabbing his shopping bag.

Jim took off at a run, already worried about his ship.

They could hear Jim's voice as they entered the kitchen. He turned, saw them, and immediately modulated his voice. "Thanks, Scotty. I'll get back to you."

Jim glanced at Peter. "Squirt, why don't you start putting the groceries away for Noni. That would be a big help for her. We'll be in to help you in a minute; I need to talk to Dr. Bones and Noni."

As soon as Peter left the room, Jim motioned them to the window on the far wall. He kept his voice low as he told them what Scotty had said. "There's been an explosion on one of the ships berthed at the San Francisco Space Dock. It's one of the Fleet ships that were in for regular maintenance, a Constellation class ship. McMillan doesn't know more yet, just that it was definitely sabotage and that no one was on board at the time. Thankfully the yard dogs hadn't started working on her yet. The fire caused by the explosion was contained immediately. The ship is badly damaged, but not completely destroyed. Scotty and I are going to Mars this afternoon. We'll meet in San Fran and we'll go on to Planitia right after. I'll be back tomorrow, Ma. We just want to talk to McMillan in person. Bones, you hold down the fort while I'm gone, okay? Ma, if you need anything..."

"Jim. Don't worry about us, dear. You go find out what's going on."

"Yeah, Jim. We'll be fine—Winona and I will keep Peter busy. He knew you still had to work while you were here, so he'll understand. Are you gonna' take Spock with you?"

"No, not Spock, it's Scotty's expertise I need right now."

Leonard nodded. Scotty was a genius. No one knew more than he did about the warp and impulse engines or about any of the mechanics and engineering on the ship, not even Jim or Spock. "You go on, get ready to leave."

"Thanks, Bones, let me go tell Peter I have to leave."


	8. Chapter 8

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 8**

"**Never a ship sails out of bay, but carries my heart as a stowaway."**

**Rosella Mercier Montgomery **

Jim landed his rental shuttle on the public parking tarmac of Starfleet Central. With a certain nostalgia, he looked around at the place that had been his home for several years as a SF cadet. Both his parents, and his grandfather had been students here too, and the place held a lot of good memories for Jim and his family. It was a huge sprawling area, the largest in San Francisco, encompassing the Academy classrooms, the many dormitories, officers' and family housing, the main Starfleet Hospital, all SF Departments offices, and the large Admiralty compound.

Jim's flight time from Riverside was shorter than Scotty's who was coming from Scotland, so Jim decided he would have lunch at the commissary and then wait for him in the SF lounge. The two men would use one of their rental shuttles to travel to Mars Planitia. Jim's rental only had impulse engines, but still the flight to Mars would not take long, at almost light speed.

After a light lunch, and a few happy reunions with some SF acquaintances, Jim's communicator beeped just as he entered the SF Central guest lounge. Scotty had landed. He waited impatiently until he saw him coming in hurriedly through the lounge door.

"Scotty! It's good to see you." Jim told him, giving him a one arm hug and hearty handshake.

"Aye, 'tis good to see ye too, Captain." Scotty's usually genial face wore a worried frown. "Tis that upset and worried I am about our beautiful lady, Sir. I could tell Ferguson McMillan was too, not just about our ship, but all the ships that are his responsibility. Shall we be on our way, Captain? Me shuttle has warp capability, Sir. Cost me an arm and a leg, but thought it'd be worth it to get to Mars the soonest possible."

"Good idea that, Scotty. You send me the bill, and I'll reimburse you," Jim told him.

"Nay, Captain, 'tis not necessary," Scotty said, looking slightly aggrieved. 'Tis glad I am to do it. I'm right worried about the ship and the sooner we get to Planitia and to the bottom of this, the better."

"All right, Scotty, thank you, but I feel the same about _Enterprise _as you do, so how about we each pay for half of the rental. Would that be agreeable to you?"

Scotty nodded. "Aye. That would be agreeable, Sirr."

"Good." Jim was relieved. Scotty was a proud Scotsman, but Jim knew for a fact, that he sent half his salary home to his mother who was a widow and needed the financial help. A Captain's pay went a lot further than a Commander's, and Scotty was on a tight budget. Even when the crew had shore leave, he seldom left the ship, knowing he had little surplus pay to drink or play away. The command crew tried to be considerate of him knowing his circumstances. Jim's already high opinion of Scotty, had risen even higher when he'd found out about his financial support of his mother.

The two men walked rapidly to the parked shuttle. Jim saw that it was a compact two man craft, obviously new, and painted a beautiful deep indigo blue.

"You picked a beautiful ship, Scotty." Jim told him, looking admiringly at the small craft.

"She's little, but she's mighty, Captain. Would ye like to pilot her? She flies like a dream, smooth and powerful. Capable of Warp 2, she is."

"I would, thank you, Scotty." Jim answered, delighted to get his hands on this sweet little ship.

Flight plan sent and approved by SF Space central, their flight to the Mars Planitia base didn't take long. Jim identified himself and Scotty, asked for, and received permission to land, then he got on his comm to notify McMillan they had arrived. They disembarked on the public tarmac and waited for the Chief by the shuttle. He came soon enough, carrying two hard hats, white overalls, and shoe covers. No one was allowed to bring dust, pollen or microscopic debris anywhere near the ships being worked on.

"Good to see ye, McMillan," Scotty shook his hand heartily. "Only wish it wasn't under these circumstances. Fergus, this is the Captain of the _Enterprise_, Captain James T. Kirk, and there's no better captain flying any Starfleet ship."

"Scotty!" Jim protested, cheeks pinking in embarrassment.

"Tis naught but the truth, Captain, and Commander McMillan needs to know that's why we're here. To inquire and look out for our bonny ship."

"Glad I am to make your acquaintance, Captain Kirk. Scotty speaks very highly about ye," he said in his soft brogue much like Scotty's. McMillan leaned in closer, keeping his voice very soft. "Y'er here to check on the progress of _Enterprise_ engine's, for no other reason. That's what I told my crew. No one here knows about the letters or explosion in San Fran."

Jim and Scotty barely had time to nod in acknowledgement before a male and a female came forward to stand by the Chief. "Captain, Scotty, these are my two right hand engineers, Lt. R'Null, and Ensign Zalaa Sh'tyhlath. R'Null has been with me since he graduated from the Academy. Zalaa is a recent graduate, and was assigned to the San Fran Shipyards, but soon asked to transfer here."

Zalaa's antennae twitched. "Much more to do here, was bored on Terra. More ships come here to be fixed."

The Caitian male nodded his greeting, extending his paw, claws retracted as was the way of his people. Jim shook the extended paw and looked closely at the Caitian. He saw an older Felinoid male, small and sinewy, with sable fur, his muzzle already showing some white, denoting his maturity.

On the other hand, the Andorian female, was quite young, her skin tone a pale blue, and her white hair cut very short as most female engineers preferred. Long hair could easily be caught or tangled in ship's engines or machinery. It was the first time Jim had ever seen a female Andorian Engineer. The Andorians usually pursued tactical or command career choices at the Starfleet Academy. They were for the most part, an impatient, irascible, cantankerous race, preferring to give orders rather than take them, so it was unusual to see an Andorian Engineer. Engineers had to be extremely careful about every aspect of a ships' warp and impulse engines. They also had to be patient with those who serviced them. Hurrying or pushing crew too hard or too fast, as Andorians were wont to do, could cost injuries or lives.

In Jim's eyes, what made Scotty such an amazing Engineer, besides his formidable Engineering knowledge, was his ability, honed to a fine art, of knowing when and how hard to push his Engineers, when to encourage or cajole them, and when to make them rest. They were one and all, those _Enterprise_ Engineers, over achievers and workaholics, just like Scotty. Jim knew that there were always many more applicants than there were vacancies in the _Enterprise_ Engineering department, many beings who wanted to serve under the great Montgomery Scott, and that Scotty scrutinized every applicant with an eagle eye.

"Pleasure to meet you both," Jim told them. He eyed the Andorian female letting his curiosity show.

"You seem surprised to meet me, Captain Kirk?"

"Not surprised exactly, Ensign Zalaa, just wondering why you chose engineering as a career rather than tactical or command which is where I've seen all Andorians who've chosen to serve in Starfleet."

Zalaa's antennae came together to face each other, a sign of amusement. "You are correct, Captain. Andorians inevitably choose those two career paths at the Academy. Temperamentally most of us are not suited to Engineering, Diplomacy, or Medicine. However, in my youth, I spent several years on Terra, my parents were employed there. One of my friend's fathers was an engineer/mechanic. He enjoyed teaching us while at the same time he worked on all types of engines, hovers, shuttles, and other types of engines, both simple and complex. He fixed them all. He told me I had an unusual aptitude for fixing ship's engines, more so than even my friend, his son, and encouraged me to excel in my studies so I could apply to the Starfleet Academy. This I did, choosing the Engineering track and here I am, working with Chief McMillan, the best Engineer in Fleet."

"I'm afraid I have to disagree with you there, Ensign," Jim smiled at her. "No offense to Chief McMillan, but Commander Scott here is the best Engineer in the Fleet." He clasped Scotty affectionally on the shoulder.

"Captain!" Scotty protested, red faced in embarrassment.

"Nothing but the truth, Scotty. You've saved the ship and the crew with your engineering magic more times than I can count."

McMillan started laughing at the look on Scotty's face. "No offense taken, Captain. Well I know Scotty's expertise and reputation, all of us Engineers do. Come now, let's go to my office so you can put on your whites, and we can have some coffee and talk about those upgrades to the _Enterprise_ engines. Ensign Zalaa, Lt. R'Null, get back to work, we'll be back with you in a wee while."

"Aye, Sirrr," R'Null answered. "Pleasure meeting you both. And may I say, that's quite a ship you have, Captain Kirk. I've seen holos of her in flight, she's magnificent. It's an honor to work on her, Sir, and I hope you're satisfied with the work we're doing for her."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I agree wholeheartedly, she's quite a ship, and I'm sure Mr. Scott and I will find your work exemplary."

McMillan led them to his office and closed the door. "Door lock. Please sit, Gentlemen, I'll bring you up to speed." He got out mugs and offered coffee which both men accepted.

"Now then," he began, sipping his coffee, "thank you for that. The explosion on the _Excalibur_ is being kept under wraps, Admiral Hahn's orders. She didn't want to panic anyone. Security found the remains of the explosives on deck 6, and although it was contained there, it was strong enough to rock the entire ship, even moved it on its tethers. Thank God, the tethers held or it would have been catastrophic!" He shuddered thinking of a ship falling on other tethered ships. "Thankfully, no one was injured since routine maintenance crews only work Alpha and Beta shifts, not Gamma, and no one was on board at the time. Of course it was reported to Admiral Hahn immediately, and then to me by the CCE of the San Fran Space Dock. Commander Chief Engineer Gayda, under strict orders directly from the Admiral, gave out the story to the press that the explosion was an accident due to a worn conduit, that the fire was contained immediately, and there wasn't much damage to the Engineering deck and no injuries. The ship's warp core survived, but it will need extensive repairs. That'll be expensive for sure. The impulse engines were spared. Don't know what malarkey the Admiral told the Captain of _Excalibur, _who I hear was very angry. She has now placed the two space ports on high alert and she notified the C in C of the threatening letters and the explosion. Admiral Nogura, as you can imagine, was furious.

"I can imagine," Jim murmured. The wrath of Nogura was nothing to be trifled with. He was fiercely protective of all the ships and officers under his command. Woe to whoever was responsible for trying to sabotage the Fleet ships.

McMillan leaned over and kept his voice low. "Admiral Hahn has called for extra security, they're to be in plain clothes at both space ports, but I'm not sure that will be enough. She informed me that Forensics is examining the explosive device, or what's left of it," he added darkly.

"Is my ship in real danger, Chief?" Jim asked voice hard.

"Aye, Captain. In my opinion all the ships are. Yours is safer than some of the others, because her engines are here on Planitia, and the ship is in San Fran, but in my opinion, all the Constitution ships are in danger, probably the Constellation ones too, although presently there are none being worked on, which is a blessing for sure." He took a deep breath. "Immediately after the explosion, I received another threatening letter." He pulled out his padd. "I have it here. I, of course, forwarded it immediately to Admiral Hahn. She informed me that Security was already on it. She told me they had been deployed to both shipyards that they'd be out of uniform, disguised in plain engineering overalls, so as to blend in with the crews. This morning I got some "new recruits" in addition to the regular crew I have here." He sighed wearily. "They stick out like sore thumbs and I doubt they'll be able to locate whoever sent it." He typed in his encryption code on his padd and handed it to Jim. Scotty leaned in to read.

"**_Commander McMillan, _**

**_The explosion on Excalibur was small compared to what I have in mind for the Fleet's Constitution warships. It is but a small example, a warning if you will. Constitution ships rain death and destruction on unsuspecting worlds and the innocent beings that live on them. I will destroy each and every one of them, one by one, for my task is an honorable one and family honor will be satisfied._**

**_Know this: you will not find or stop me, because right is on my side."_**

There was silence from Jim and Scotty.

"So you see, Captain, None of the ships are safe." McMillan drew a weary hand down his face.

Jim and Scotty exchanged glances. "Who else knows about the threatening letters, Chief?" Jim asked.

"Only meself, Admiral Hahn, the C in C, Commander Gayda at San Fran, and yourselves, that I know of. The less who know the better, I think."

He eyed Jim a little uncertainly. "You may find it unusual that I confided in Mr. Scott, here, Captain, but Scotty and meself go back a long way, back to our school days in Scotland. We've always been mates, since childhood, always stayed in touch we have, and I trust him implicitly in all things. I could not lie to him when he asked. Also yours is the flag ship of the Fleet, Captain, and I feel it in me bones it will be targeted, so I think ye both have a right to know what's going on. I don't believe in keeping this kind of situation from the Captains of their ships."

He cleared his throat, his fair skin flushing. "Let me assure ye that I did not divulge to either of you classified information. Admiral Hahn did not forbid me to tell ye, or the other Captains, but you're the only one I've informed." He shook his head. "I'm not sure what to do yet, and I don't even know how much information Admiral Hahn has shared with the Chief of Security, she dinnae tell me. But...these troubles won't be a secret for long. All these strangers running around, anyone with brains in their heads will be able to figure out something is verrry wrong. Admiral Hahn needs a better strategy then what she's implementing, that's for sure. 'In my opinion, 'tis too obvious."

Jim huffed an irritated breath. Armchair Admirals were the bane of Starfleet Captains, and not just the Captains, but anyone out in the black. "I agree with you, Chief."

McMillan looked at the chronometer. "We should be going out now to inspect your ship's engines, Captain, since they just arrived. That is what I told me engineers about why ye and Mr. Scott were coming."

"Of course, Chief. We don't want to arouse suspicion." He looked thoughtfully at McMillan. "I may have an idea about how to help you, how to help all of us, Chief. Let me run it by the C in C first. But before I do that let me ask you this. How would you feel about having Scotty here on Planitia helping you out for a short time...on loan, so to speak, due to the added workload you have here? The story? He was recalled from shore leave and given this temporary assignment due to your increased workload."

McMillan's eyes lit up. "I would like that, Captain."

He felt rather than saw Scotty's shock and touched his arm lightly. _Wait._

Jim paused, and looked around at the shabby office and desk and at the old comm system station. "I also think it's about time for Fleet IT to come in and upgrade your computer and comm system. It looks like it's been a while since you've had an upgrade."

"Aye, Captain. It was here when I took over and that's been a while now. My budget is more than adequate for our needs, tools and such, but the credits don't stretch for a new updated computer system and other technology upgrades."

Jim nodded. "Earlier we were discussing how time consuming and expensive it is to upgrade computer systems. It's also an important job, so IT will have to send two of their best technicians to do the job."

He waited expectantly for McMillan's response. He eyed Jim knowingly. "It does sound like a big job. But would it even be possible?"

"It's more than possible, but I have to run my plan by Admiral Nogura first, get his approval for the temporary reassignments, and yours, Chief. There's no point in doing anything without your approval first. After all this is your domain, Commander." Jim's arm waved around, encompassing the whole of Planitia. "Your approval and permission is paramount. We wouldn't want to interfere with anything you're doing here."

McMillan frowned fiercely. "I appreciate that, Captain, but what I'm doing here is worrying meself into an early grave. Worrying about the ships, worrying about me lads and lassies working here, worrying about the entire base. If ye have a plan that will stop this madman I will welcome anyone ye think can help." He looked at Scotty. "Ye would be agreeable to coming, Scotty?"

Scotty met Jim's eyes. "Of course I would, Fergus," he answered stoutly. "There's not much that I wouldn't do for this man," he gestured at Jim, "and for our friendship, or for our bonny ship."

"All right then, we're in agreement. As soon as we get back to San Fran I'll make an appointment with Admiral Nogura. I think he'll be pleased with my plan. The two "IT techs" and I have carried out a couple of special assignments for the C in C, quite successfully may I add. Commander Gavin Bradford and Lt. Sonnai Connolly, your two "techs" are with Starfleet Intelligence Service and they're the best."

He looked carefully around the small office and at McMillan's padd. "Chief, how should we communicate with you after I speak with Admiral Nogura? It's obvious your messages have been hacked, and the three of us have been very careful and circumspect about what we've said over your comm."

McMillan's face dropped. "Aye, Captain. I had not thought of that."

"I'll tell you what, if the C in C is agreeable to my plan, I'll talk to you through his personal communication relay to let you know when Scotty's coming. It has the highest encryption level possible. When the two "techs" come they'll bring a new comm and padd, for you, both with the highest encryption software. Your old one will stay activated. I think you should continue to use it and your old padd since that's the way the saboteur communicates with you. We don't want to tip them off. How does that sound, Chief?"

"It sounds like an excellent plan, Captain. I only hope the C in C approves it." He looked at the silent Scotty. "And it'll be good to have Scotty here." He sighed. "Perhaps then t'will be possible to discover who's behind these threats so I can get some sleep again," McMillan added, already looking relieved.

"We'll find the bastard, Fergus. Have no fear of that," Scotty assured him.

"I surely hope so, Scotty." He stood. "Now then shall we go out and look at your engines?"

"Chief, before we go check the engines, would you mind giving me copies of those letters? My CMO is a great profiler and I'd like for him to look at them. Maybe he can spot something else that may give us a clue."

"Of course, Captain." He got a chip from his desk, copied the letters and handed them over to Jim."

"Thanks, Chief. Now let's go look at my engines."


	9. Chapter 9

**Why This Candle Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 9 **

"**To reach a port we must set sail –**

**Sail, not tie at anchor**

**Sail, not drift." **

**Franklin D. Roosevelt**

Jim and Scotty were mostly silent on the flight back to Starfleet Academy, both men deep in thought.

Jim glanced over at his silent Chief Engineer, ordering his thoughts before he spoke. "Scotty, you go ahead and get back to your mom. I'll go straight to Admiral Nogura's office. If he's on planet, he's always in his office on Saturdays, says it's a lot more peaceful when the Academy cadets are mostly off campus. If he agrees to my plan of action, he'll issue temporary orders for you to go to Planitia, and for Gavin and Sonnai Connolly to go directly after you."

He took his eyes off the horizon for a second to look at his CE. "I know I sprung this mission on you suddenly, Scotty. Will you be all right leaving your mother for a few days? I know you and your family looked forward to spending this time together just as much as Ma, Peter and I did. You can refuse this assignment without prejudice, Scotty. I'll understand. You are on leave, and I can get your second, Lt Singh, to go to Planitia. He's a good man, steady and reliable, and he'll follow his orders to the letter."

"Aye, Sir. Singh is top notch and I never worry when he's in charge. But I want to be the one to go to Planitia, help get this crazy man threatening our bonny ships. Fergus and meself we go way back, Captain. Came from the same neighborhood, went to primary and secondary schools together. We were best mates, always had each other's back at school and at later at the Academy. We studied together, did sims together, drank together, even brawled together a few time," he added, giving Jim a sideways glance. "We trust each other and he needs me to have his back right now."

Jim nodded, satisfied with the sincerity of Scotty's answer. "I thought you'd feel that way, Scotty. I wish I could go myself, but...," Jim's fair skin turned pink, "I'd be recognized right away and that wouldn't be good at all."

"Aye, that's for sure, Captain. Your face is known all across the quadrant."

"As soon as we land, I'll request an immediate appointment with Admiral Nogura. I'll comm you afterward, Scotty, let you know what he said."

Jim landed Scotty's shuttle on the back tarmac, said a hasty goodbye and walked hurriedly to Nogura's office. The C in C was an extremely busy man. He had a formidable work ethic, a steel trap mind and a prodigious, almost eidetic memory. The Admirals under him learned quickly, sometimes to their sorrow, never to underestimate that memory. Jim knew for a fact that Komack both feared and hated Nogura. The C in C kept him on a very short leash and occasionally, to Komack's fury, pulled it even shorter.

Jim hoped he was not off planet. If he was in his office, he was sure the Admiral would give him a few minutes of his time. Jim also wanted to issue a personal invitation to the admiral and Mrs. Nogura to his mother's birthday party. Winona admired Mrs. Nogura and the Admiral admired Winona, so an invitation would be welcomed by both parties.

As Jim walked to the Admiralty building, as always, he stopped for a few seconds to admire what was in front of him. It was a beautiful building, the oldest building at the Academy. It had been constructed in 2161, immediately after the United Federation of Planets was founded. The Academy's motto "_Ex astris, scientia_" "From the Stars, Knowledge," was carved in script at the top of the imposing building.

The building looked even more beautiful than usual in the soft diffused light of the foggy afternoon. It was always carefully, meticulously, maintained, and still after almost two hundred years, completely original. Its pristine creamy facade was made of the rare white limestone found deep in the Llagon mountains of Vulcan, the wide deep portico steps and floors constructed by hand from a rosy marble like substance from Tellar, the tall windows reaching almost to the roof were made from the shimmering, almost indestructible, transparent ice glass from Andor, and all of its glowing wooden floor planks had been cut from one enormous Sequoia tree from Earth. The building was the pride of the Federation and Starfleet, a concrete symbol of unification, of the many divergent cultures, species, and philosophies coming together in their quest for peace and understanding.

Jim ran up the wide stairs, and stood at the large doors waiting. The doors opened after his ID scan and he went straight to the Admiral's office. Nogura's Administrative Assistant/ receptionist, who had been with the Admiral since Jim had been a student, greeted him cordially. "Captain Kirk, how are you? It's always a pleasure to see you, Sir."

"Doing well, thank you, Commander Rhodes. Likewise. Would it be possible for me to speak with the Admiral? If he's here of course. I don't have an appointment, but it's rather urgent that I speak with him."

"Let me go ask him, Captain. He has a very busy schedule today, you know his Saturdays are usually filled with appointments, but I'll see if he can spare you a few moments."

Commander Rhodes was smiling when he came back. "He'll see you, Captain, but I'm afraid he only has about ten minutes to spare. Go right in."

Jim opened the door to Nogura's office and saluted smartly. "Admiral, thank you for seeing me, Sir."

"Jim, come in. It's good to see you. I know it has to be something very important for you to come. Please sit down. And tell me, how is your mother?"

"Very well, Admiral. About to celebrate her 60th birthday. It would be an honor if you and Mrs. Nogura would attend her birthday party. I know it would make my mother very happy to have both of you there. Invitations will go out soon, Sir, with the particulars."

Nogura smiled. "It would be our pleasure, Jim. You know Mrs. Nogura and I think the world of your mother. Now then tell me what brings you here."

Jim quickly brought the Admiral up to date on the ship's status, his and Scotty's visit to Planitia, and the latest letter threat that had been sent to McMillan after the San Francisco shipyard explosion.

"I spoke with Mattea Hahn earlier, Jim." The Admiral looked somber. "She's extremely worried, and Security hasn't come up with a thing." He looked keenly at Jim. "I'm guessing you didn't come here to just give me that update, correct?"

"That's correct, Sir."

Nogura reached for his inter office comm. "Commander Rhodes. I'm afraid my next appointment has to be canceled. Please reschedule it."

"Aye, Sir," came the placid voice of the Commander.

Nogura smiled grimly. "Rhodes is well used to my schedule changes. Let's hear what you have to say, Jim. We have to stop this maniac somehow. The status of our Constitution ships is always a priority."

Jim began with his impromptu visit to Planitia with Mr. Scott, and his conversation with Commander McMillan. "He's extremely worried, Admiral, and feels the presence of extra security, even in plain clothes, will not be a deterrent. He seems to think they stand out like sore thumbs."

Nogura snorted. "Of course they do, the Security Department is trained to look aggressive and _present. _It's hard to undo that kind of training in a few hours. I find that I agree with Commander McMillan. So what do you have in mind, Jim?"

"I've been working a plan out in my mind, Admiral, step by step."

Nogura nodded. Jim Kirk had a formidable tactical mind. His lightning fast thinking had gotten his ship out of dire situations many times and had saved many lives.

"Go on."

"First, Sir, I'd like to propose a temporary reassignment for Mr. Scott, have him go to Planitia. There's no one better to spot a possible danger to a ship or its engines. With the added work load on the shipyard, his presence would not raise suspicions, and he'll be extra vigilant for any suspicious or unusual activity. Second, I'd like for Gavin Bradford and Sonaii Connolly to go undercover as IT Engineers for Commander McMillan's computer systems. I saw them myself, Admiral. They're badly out of date, easily tampered with and hacked. Ostensibly, their job would be to upgrade all of McMillan's communication equipment. McMillan needs to be provided with a new and highly encrypted comm to speak with all of us without danger of being hacked again. In fact so will Mr. Scott, Commander Bradford, Lt. Connolly, and myself. I also propose that McMillan's old personal comm remain active so as not to arouse suspicion, since that's where he's received the threatening letters. As you already know, Sir, there's no one better than Lt. Connolly at tracing anything, or hacking into any system. He's proved that on several missions. Commander Bradford will ingratiate himself with the Engineers to pick up Intel, but he'll also help Sonaii hack into everyone's comms for any suspicious activities."

Nogura looked at him thoughtfully. "What makes you so sure that the saboteur will hit Planitia, Jim, and not San Francisco again?"

"For one thing, Admiral, he's already hit San Fran once, and the _Enterprise_ engines have now arrived on Planitia."

"Agreed." Nugura nodded, looking keenly at Jim. "I'm surprised you don't want to be front and center on this mission, Captain."

"I do want to, Admiral, badly." Jim huffed a frustrated breath looking rueful. "But my presence would only cause suspicion and compromise the mission." He blushed. "My face is too well known, Sir. I would still like to lead the mission, but either from the farm or from here in San Francisco."

"You're right about that." Nogura agreed, lips twitching slightly. He knew Jim hated his fame, his handsome face plastered all over the Nets. His face sobered and he leaned back in his chair, silent, thinking. "Very well, Captain. I'll agree to your plan. I will want you to lead the mission, with the others under your command. I'll give the order for Mr. Scott's temporary reassignment to Planitia, and speak to Admiral Corrigan at SIS to release Commander Bradford and Lt. Connolly for their covert assignment on Planitia. The sooner they can all get there the better. I believe we're dealing with a deranged individual Jim," he added, his face grave.

"I'm afraid so, Sir. I spoke with Dr. McCoy about the psychological profile of this person. Without actually interacting with the individual, Bones still has a pretty good idea of his mental state. He called it an idée fixe, a fixed idea which takes over a person's entire psyche." He went on to tell the Admiral about Bones' thoughts that the saboteur had reached the point where they were unable to stop their actions and that without intervention the behavior would escalate further until they couldn't function without giving in to their compulsion.

"Yes, I see. Dr. McCoy thinks they won't stop until this compulsion to destroy all the Constitution ships is satisfied."

"That's the gist of it." Jim stood. "I'll let Mr. Scott know about his new orders from you, Admiral, and from here I'll go straight to Commander Bradford's office."

Admiral Nogura toggled his Comm. "Rhodes get me Corrigan at SIS."

"Aye, Sir."

"I'll fill Corrigan in, Captain, and inform him about Commander Bradford and Lt. Connolly's new assignment. Keep me in the loop about all this, Jim. If I'm unavailable, talk to Commander Rhodes, he'll update me. I'll tell him any information coming from you is high priority and I'll need to know about it right away."

"Aye, Sir. Thank you." He saluted and hurriedly left the office, said a hasty goodbye to Rhodes, his comm already in hand to speak with Scotty. Jim decided it would be best to meet with all three men at the same time, it would save valuable time, and all three could hit the ground running.

"Aye, Sir, I'll turn around and head back to San Francisco. I stopped to get a bite to eat since I dinnae' had breakfast, so I'm not as far out as I could be." Scotty could only use the shuttle impulse engines when inside Earth's atmosphere, going into warp was against the law.

"Go directly to the SIS office, Scotty. There will be Security at the door, and they'll scrutinize your credentials. Tell them you're there under Admiral Nogura's orders. Admiral Corrigan has already been notified. I'm sending you the address, keep it under wraps, it's not really a secret, but the location of SIS is not publicized either. I want you to comm McMillan, Scotty, tell him you've been notified of your reassignment to help him out on Planitia. That you'll report to him in the morning. Don't say more than that."

"Got it, Captain. See you in a bit. Scott out."

Now in his shuttle, Jim commed Gavin to let him know he'd be arriving at SIS headquarters in a few minutes. Gavin was also working today, as he sometimes had to on Saturdays. All Starfleet officers whether on ship or on land worked when they had to. Days off, whether scheduled or not, were taken when it was possible to do so. Gavin tried to take Sundays and Mondays off, so he could spend time with Davy on Monday mornings. Then they'd meet Violet for lunch, and Gavin would take the toddler to daycare after lunch.

"I'll pull Sonaii in, Jim. Admiral Corrigan already approved our mission. Apparently the C in C wasted no time in contacting him," Gavin told him over the comm.

"Admiral Nogura feels a sense of urgency, Gavin, as do I. The Constitution ships have the reputation of being pretty much invincible, if word gets out that one or more of the mightiest ships in the Federation had been compromised by a saboteur, the Fleet will lose status and credibility, and that'll have far reaching consequence, all the way to K'onos, Cardassia, Orion, and Romulus."

"You're right, Jim. We have to find out who's behind this and stop them as quickly as possible."

"Scotty is on his way back to your office. Let your door Security know please, and that I'm on my way too. Also we're going to need 5 of your best personal comms with the highest encryption software possible, so the four of us and McMillan can communicate without fear of being hacked."

"I'll see to it, Jim. Let me go talk with Security. See you in a little while. Bradford out."

Jim took a moment to call Bones and check in.

"Jim, how are things goin'? How was the trip to Planitia? How's Scotty?"

"Things are progressing quickly, Bones. I'll fill you in when I get back, which should be late tonight. I'm leading the mission, but from the farm, or from here in San Francisco. The Admiral and I agree it would be best if I kept a low profile this time around."

"Face is too well known, huh," Bones teased him knowingly. "Well, I for one, and Winona and Peter will be real glad about that," he added.

"In a way I am too, Bones. I want to spend as much time with Ma, Peter, you, and JoJo as I can, but you know how I hate to sit on the sidelines," he added a bit forlornly.

"I know, Jimmy."

"Anyway, Scotty's on his way to meet with me, Gavin and Sonaii Connolly at SIS headquarters. They'll be heading to Planitia after the meeting; they'll be on the ground and working from there. Scotty will be assisting Chief McMillan, and Gavin and Sonaii will go undercover as Fleet computer techs sent to dismantle and upgrade McMillan's comm system. Sonaii is going to take a crack at finding the origin of those letters, Bones."

"If anyone can do it, that young man will."

"There's been another letter, Bones. McMillan got the third one after the explosion at the space port here. He gave me copies of the three letters so you can look them over. I'd like your opinion now that you'll have samples to work with."

"'Course, Jim. Glad to do what I can."

Jim checked his coordinates; he wasn't far from SIS headquarters. "What did the three of you do today, Bones?"

"You'll be happy to hear that Winona worked on her invitation list and it's about finished. We also began to plan what she wants for food since it's going to be catered. Oh, and Nyota commed your mother that she'll be here on Tuesday afternoon. Your mother was real pleased about that. They were both giggling like school girls."

Jim could hear the smile in his voice over the comm, and he smiled too. "That's great, Bones. Ma loves Nyota, they'll have a great time planning, and even more fun, when Violet comes to help." Jim saw the SIS parking tarmac below him and started his descent. He glided the shuttle in getting ready to park.

"Jim..."

"I've just landed. What is it, Bones?"

"Have you heard from Spock?"

"No, not yet."

"I was afraid of that. If he wasn't a Vulcan, I'd say he was sulking."

"Well he is Vulcan, so he's not sulking; Vulcans are too dignified to sulk."

Leonard snorted.

Jim grinned to himself. "Anyway, I told you to stop worrying about Spock, Bones. If I know Spock, he's thinking things over, he'll figure it out."

"I hope so." Jim heard the huff of Bones' frustrated breath. "Are you gonna' call him in for the mission?"

"Not yet. I'll wait until Gavin, Scotty, and Sonaii get settled in at Planitia, and they start their investigation. Spock's identity is also too well known, both as the Vulcan Ambassador's son, and as the XO on the _Enterprise_. This mission has to be as covert as possible. If need be, Spock will be available in San Francisco as the go to person there for additional support."

Jim looked up at the horizon, still no sign of Scotty's shuttle. He might as well go inside and wait.

"Okay, gotta go, Bones. Peter will be asleep by the time I get home, but tell him I'll see him in the morning. You and Ma have a good night."

"Winona and I are gonna' wait up for you, Jim. Your Ma said she'd keep your supper warm. See you tonight. McCoy out."

Jim smiled as he closed his comm. He had two mother hens, Bones on the ship, and his mother on the ground. There was, he knew, no use in fighting those two and their mother henning tendencies. He locked the shuttle, and made his way to the front door of SIS headquarters. The two burly security guards in their reds, nodded respectfully. "Commander Bradford told us you were expected, Captain Kirk. Go right in."

"Thank you, Gentlemen. My Chief Engineer, Montgomery Scott will be arriving soon."

"Yes, Sir. We know. As soon as he lands, one of us will escort him to Commander Bradford's office."

One of the guards pressed in the door code, Jim nodded his thanks and went inside.


	10. Chapter 10

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake?**

**Chapter 10 **

**"I can't control the wind but I can adjust the sail."  
**  
**Ricky Skaggs**

Jim landed his rental shuttle in the back pasture. It was late and very dark, the moon was waning and almost invisible now, so the stars were glittering overhead in all their splendor. This far out of town, there was very little ambient light to dim the light from the overhead sky. Looking up Jim thought they looked as close as they did on the ship's view screen.

He saw the light was still on in the kitchen, so Bones and his mother had made good on their promise to wait up for him. His stomach growled. He realized he was very hungry, he'd skipped lunch and it was way past supper time. He hoped what Bones had said was true, that his mother had kept his supper warm.

He walked briskly to the back door, and to his satisfaction saw that it was locked. He hoped it had been his mother who remembered to lock it, but it had probably been Bones. His mother was not good about keeping her doors locked, although since the break in and theft of her computer earlier this year, she had promised Jim to try and remember to do it.

Thinking it over, and knowing his mother, Jim decided he was going to give Peter the responsibility of locking the back door before he went to bed (his mother would have to double check the door at first, of course). With Peter's newly negotiated later bed time, there was no reason for either Peter or his mother to be going outside after 8:30 pm anyway. When he and Sam had lived at home, Jim's father had been the one to lock the back door, and when he was gone on a mission, Sam would take on the task. After Sam went off to the Academy, Jim did it every night. Now it would be Peter's turn.

He went to the door and knocked softly. It looked like his mother and Bones were sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and eating a piece of pie. Bones got up and let him in, clasping him lightly on the shoulder. "Glad you're home, Jim. Come sit down. You look beat."

"I am, Bones." He leaned in to kiss his mother. "Hey, Ma."

His mother patted his cheek. "It's good you're home, sweetheart." She rose, pulled a plate from the warming oven, cut him a piece of pie and poured him a cup of coffee. "Here, Jim. It's meatloaf, one of your favorites. I bet you're hungry."

Jim sighed tiredly. "I am, Ma. I missed lunch and dinner. Thought I'd be home earlier, but we had to wait for Scotty to arrive at SIS." He washed his hands at the sink, and sank gratefully into the kitchen chair to eat.

"It looks delicious. Thanks, Ma". It had been a very long day. "Peter and Sorrel asleep?" He asked.

"Sound asleep, and he made it to his later bedtime." She dimpled. "Just barely, but he persevered."

Jim chuckled and began on his long delayed dinner. The meatloaf, mashed potatoes and grilled tomatoes went down fast.

Leonard and Winona watched him eat, waiting patiently for Jim to finish. Now with his dinner plate empty, and his pie and coffee in front of him, he slowed down to enjoy his dessert and fill in Bones and his mother on the mission.

"Admiral Corrigan came in and he wanted a full debrief, so that took a while. Then Scotty arrived and the four of us planned the mission parameters. Scotty is probably well on his way to Planitia," he told them. "He left SIS when I did. He'll bunk with McMillan once he gets there and brief him privately away from listening ears on everything. Gavin, Sonaii and I agree that McMillan's con was hacked, so the less we use it the better. Scotty is delivering a highly encrypted state of the art SIS communicator to him tonight. We've all been issued an SIS one, and we'll be using them exclusively. Gavin and Sonaii will arrive in Planitia tomorrow morning. We thought it best not to have everyone arrive at the same time. It might give rise to speculation and suspicion. Ostensibly, Gavin and Sonaii will be there to upgrade Planitia's comm systems, they're old and antiquated, and McMillan is getting the word out that Admiral Hahn ordered the upgrade months ago, but Fleet IT techs are just now getting to it. We're hopeful the cover story holds. I'll be overseeing the mission, reporting to Admiral Hahn from here or San Francisco. I'm supposed to keep Admiral Nogura in the loop too; he's pretty worried about the Constitution and Constellation ships. Earlier, he gave the order that none of our ships that are still out in the black were to dock either at Planitia or at San Fran space ports for any reason."

"Probably a good idea," Leonard murmured.

"Bones, I have a copy of the three threatening letters with me. I'd like you to go over them with a fine tooth comb, see if you can spot anything that might help us identify this guy. But not tonight, Bones. Fresh eyes tomorrow morning will be better. Maybe Ma can help, she's got the eye of an eagle." He smiled at her.

"I'll do my best, Jim. Now I think it's time for you to get some rest."

"Let me clean up the kitchen, Ma."

"Certainly not, Jim Kirk! Just put everything in the sink, I'll take care of it in the morning, and," she looked at the empty plates, "there's no food left over to put away."

Jim nodded, too tired to protest. He got up, stretched his broad shoulders and went to lock the back door. He also put up the security shield, looking meaningfully at his mother."

She grinned. "Yes, yes, I know, dear, but I'm trying to do better."

Jim mock frowned at her. "I hope so, Ma. Oh, before I forget. I invited Admiral and Mrs. Nogura to your birthday party. The Admiral said they'd be delighted to attend."

"Oh, good. You know how much I like Mrs. Nogura. And the Admiral too for that matter, and I have put them on the invitation list."

She glanced at Leonard meaningfully. Winona had gone over the guest list with him, and she'd called a halt at 50 guests. She knew Jim would want her to add more names, but she wanted to limit the guests to family, neighbors, and their dearest friends. When Nyota arrived on Tuesday, Winona would go over the guest list with her one more time and ask her to back her up on the decision to limit the list to the 50 names.

"Well, he certainly thinks the world of you, Ma," Jim went on. "I told him we'd send him the details later. Are you coming to bed, Bones? 'Cause I'm beat." He yawned widely

"Yeah, I'm comin', Jim. Will my light bother you if I read in bed for a while? Don't want to chance keeping you up. Have a few journals I'd like to look over."

"At this point nothing would wake me up, Bones. You go ahead. Good night, Ma," he said giving her a kiss on her soft cheek.

"Goodnight, Jim. Sleep well, sweetheart."

Jim took a quick shower, slipped into his sleep pants and got under the cool sheets. He sighed in contentment, turned over, punched his pillow, and was instantly asleep.

Leonard coming in a bit later, turned on the small reading lamp by his own bed. He glanced at Jim to be sure the light hadn't disturbed him. Leonard was happy to see he was already deeply asleep. Jim, like all Starship Captains and CMOs, had long ago learned the art of sleeping deeply when the opportunity arose. Leonard settled in the comfortable old bed. He was anxious to read the three threatening letters, but Jim was right. It was better to read them in the morning with fresh eyes and an alert brain. He opened one of his medical journals on his padd. There was a new and interesting article on the newest, radical, technique for repairing the ruptured upper chamber of an Andorian heart.

—

Jim opened his eyes to the bright sunlight coming through his bedroom window. He looked at his chronometer. It was 08:30! He stretched contently. It always seemed to Jim that his bed at the farm was the most comfortable bed he'd ever slept in. He glanced over and saw that Bones' bed was empty. It was already neatly made and he could hear soft muted sounds coming from the kitchen. Everyone else must be up. He grabbed his clothes and headed for the shower. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that on board ship, he ate breakfast much earlier. He hurried because he could already smell good things coming from the kitchen.

Peter, Bones, and Winona were all busy at their breakfast tasks. Peter, setting the table, looked up as Jim entered the kitchen and his small face let up. "Hi, Uncle Jim."

"Morning, Squirt." Jim kissed the top of the sandy head. "Something smells mighty good, Ma," he said, pouring himself a mug of coffee. "Morning, Bones."

"Breakfast is almost ready, son. Sit down."

"Can I help with anything?"

"Nope," Leonard answered. "Nothing for you to do except sit down to eat."

Winona placed a plate filled with scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, and toast in front of him. Peter set a glass of orange juice by his plate and everyone sat down to eat.

"Looks amazing, Ma. I'm starving. We eat much earlier on the ship."

"Are you staying home today, Uncle Jim?" Peter looked at him hopefully.

"I sure am, Squirt. Thought maybe we could throw some balls, and also get in some batting practice after breakfast."

"That'd be great!" Peter beamed. "I'll go get the bat, ball and gloves." In his excitement, he left his unfinished breakfast on the table, running out of the kitchen.

Winona opened her mouth to call after him to finish eating and clear the table, but Jim stopped her. "I'll do it, Ma. Make up a little for disappointing him yesterday."

"Spoiling him a little bit while I'm here doesn't mattter," Jim continued, reaching for his comm. "Bones, I'm sending you and Ma copies of the three threatening letter. Maybe you two can go over them while I'm outside with Peter." Sipping his coffee, he quickly and efficiently cleared the table, put the few leftovers away, and started the dishwasher. He finished just as Peter came back, two balls, his glove, and a bat in his hands.

"Ready, Uncle Jim?"

"Ready...I really want to see the strength of that pitching arm of yours," he winked at Peter. "Your dad was a great pitcher, he started teaching me to throw when I was real little."

They had been pitching, batting, and laughing for about an hour when Jim's new encrypted comm beeped. He looked down at it frowning. "Peter, I need to take this. Why don't you go inside and pour us some cold lemonade, I'm thirsty. I'll be in a few minutes."

Jim opened his comm. "Kirk here."

"Jim, I'm reporting in. We're all in place at Planitia," Gavin's voice was a bit tinny over the new comm, but loud and clear. "Sonaii and I reported in to Chief McMillan as the two Fleet computer techs sent to completely overhaul the comm system. We made sure a lot of the crew saw us as we landed. The shuttle is marked _Starfleet Information Technology Systems._ I had it painted last night. We're in McMillan's office. He's been thoroughly briefed. I gave him the new encrypted comm and he and Mr. Scott will only be using it to communicate with each other, with us, and with you. His other comm code is still active and will remain that way. He'll use it with his crew as usual. We haven't seen Mr. Scott yet, don't want to attract attention by seeking him out." He lowered his voice. "Jim, there are quite a few ships in dry docks here, more than I anticipated. No wonder Chief McMillan is so worried. All these ships are vulnerable."

"I know, Gavin." Jim sighed. "I told Scotty you'd arrive today, and that you'd brief him, but he's also to brief you and Sonaii on the status of all the ships dry docked right now. They're in different stages of repair, so some are more vulnerable to sabotage than others. You and Sonaii—"

"Wait just a minute, Jim," Gavin interrupted. "Something's going on."

Jim could hear agitated murmurings on the other end as he waited impatiently.

Gavin's voice came back. "McMillan just came in, he's received another letter. Jim, this one is different, it has a whole different tone to it. I'm sending you a copy now. Sonaii is already on it, trying to trace its origin point."

Jim looked down at his comm. "Got it, Gavin."

"I'll comm you back, Jim."

Jim's comm light went off and he huffed in frustration. That's why he hated being away from the action; he was missing the immediacy of new information and the reactions from his team. He looked at the image on his comm and read:

**_McMillan, _**

**_After much thought, I realized that the Constitution and Constellation ships are not, as I first thought, the harbingers of death. Rather they are innocent, unsuspecting vessels. They cannot kill without their engines and the crew who run them. It is the beings who dwell on the ships that are at fault. It is they who man the engines, who take the ships to unsuspecting worlds to rain death and destruction upon the beings who live there. Without their engines and the crews who man them, the ships are calm, empty vessels, completely at peace. _**

**_Be on guard! _****_Even if I must destroy innocent ships, I will exact retribution for your many atrocities._**

**_I am Nemesis_**

"Bones," Jim called out striding into the kitchen. Peter was there making the lemonade. "Where are you?" He called. "Peter, you go on outside. I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay, Uncle Jim." Peter carefully carried the two glasses on a tray while Jim held the door open for him. …

"I'm here, Jim," Leonard came in carrying a pile of clothes. "I need to do my laundry, then Win and I are going to her office to dissect the letters. We should have some type of feedback for you soon."

Jim grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the living room. "Another letter has come in. Gavin said McMillan got it first thing this morning. He says the tone and intent of this one is different. I'm sending you a copy, see what you think." He sent it quickly.

Leonard scanned it quickly and looked up at Jim, his blue eyes somber. "I'll compare it to the others, Jim, but I can already tell you that whoever this is, their mental state is deteriorating. You can see the escalation of his word choices, the change in his perspective about the ship, the engines, and the crews."

"That's what I thought too." Jim took the laundry out of Bones' hands. "I'll put these in the fresher. You and Ma get started, Bones. I think I'm going to send Spock to speak with the San Fran CCE and Admiral Hahn. They need to be put on high alert. I also need to update Admiral Nogura's Admin. The Admiral wants to be kept in the loop. He's worried, Bones."

"As well he should be." Sober blue eyes met hazel.

"I thought this guy wouldn't attempt another try in San Fran, especially with all the overt Security presence there, but now I'm not so sure."

"He thinks he's smarter than Security, Jim, smarter than anybody, so yeah, you're right to have second thoughts about the San Francisco Space yard." He looked a question at Jim. "So you're gonna' talk to Spock?"

Jim nodded. "I'm going to talk to Spock, give him his assignment." He caught the flash of worry on Leonard's face. "It'll be fine, Bones. Stop worrying."

"I cain't help but worry, Jimmy. I don't want Spock to retreat behind that Vulcan wall of his, or to be hurt."

"And it was okay for you to be hurt by his behavior? I don't think so. Spock has to learn that my friendship with him will never exclude you. That's never going to happen, and I'm going to make sure he knows it. I'll be as gentle as I can in helping him understand that, but understand it he will. It's my hope that with time he'll extend his desire for friendship with me to others as well; you, Ny, Scotty. That would be a great thing for him."

"It would be good for him that's for sure. The man needs friends, he's half human and needs to accept that he has feelings to explore, or else one of these days he's going to do something rash." Leonard shook his head. "I'll try to stop worryin' about him and trust you to handle it right."

"Good. I want you to enjoy this time with us, Bones, and with Joanna, not be worrying about Spock." Jim flashed Bones his usual sunny smile. "I'm giving him something to focus on. You know how he is. Give Spock a problem to solve, and he's like a dog with a bone. Now, you go find Ma, so the two of you can go over those letters with a fine tooth comb, maybe you'll spot something that will help us. After I comm Spock, I'll check in with Gavin again, then I have to get back to Peter."

"Your Ma said Peter was going to invite three of his best friends over this afternoon, the ones he put on the guest list." He grinned, his blue eyes twinkling brightly. "Apparently you are quite the draw for them to visit, so turn on your Captainly charm when the children come. They'll keep him busy for a while this afternoon."

"Bones," Jim protested. "I'm sure it's Ma's cookies that are the draw, not me!"

"Uh huh, keep tellin' yourself that," Leonard laughed. "Now go on and comm Spock. Peter's waitin' for you."

Jim went into his bedroom for some privacy and flipped open his regular SF comm. "Kirk to Spock. Come in Spock."

"Spock here. Captain. I am pleased to hear from you. Have you changed your mind about my accommodations when I visit with you?"

"No, Mr. Spock. The farm house accommodations stand. As I told you, you're more than welcome to stay with Jonathon or at the Riverside hotel, but Bones is staying here."

"I see." Spock's voice was suddenly devoid of all expression.

"Spock, I'm not sure if you, Sarek, or the Council have been briefed about what's been going on at the Fleet space ports."

"I have not, Sir, and I do not believe my father has either, so therefore not the Council."

"Let me catch you up on what's been going on, and then I have an assignment for you."

"Of course, Captain.


	11. Chapter 11

**"Why This Candle? Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 11**

"**Shovels serve two purposes. **

**One is to dig holes and the other is to fill them." **

**Craig D. Lounsbrough**

Jim finished briefing Spock and waited for his comments.

"I admit to some surprise that you did not brief me about these events earlier, Captain."

Even over the voice only comm connection, Jim could almost see Spock's eyebrow rise. "I didn't want to disturb the work you were doing with Sarek, Spock. I know that things between you are better than they were, but I thought it best not to bother you until your work with him was completed. Be that as it may, I now have an assignment for you."

"Of course, Sir. I am at your disposal."

"I want you to contact Admiral Hahn and the San Fran Space Dock Commander, Chief Engineer Gayda. Admiral Nogura already informed them that I'm leading this investigation. Tell them you're there as part of my investigative team, that you'd like to speak with them in private. Ask for permission to speak with every yard dog that had access to the _Excalibur_, she's the Constellation class ship that was sabotaged. I want you to question every one of them. I know Security has already done it, but I'm not sure they knew the correct Engineering questions to ask. You, Scotty and I know much more about the Engineering specs of the Constellation and Constitution ships. Stay sharp, Spock, be suspicious about too pat answers."

"I feel in my guts that this is an inside job. And by the way, be very reticent about what you say over your comm. Whoever this person is, they're experts, not just in explosives, but on comm encryptions too. Try to find out who might have a double expertise in Engineering, and in computer algorithms. See if you can detect anything out of the ordinary in any of their answers to your questions. Scotty, Gavin and Sonaii are doing the same type of investigation on Planitia. We have to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible, so be assertive in your questioning."

"I will endeavor to do so, Sir. If I may, Captain. Why do you believe this is as you say, "an inside job?"

"Whoever this is, they seem to know everything about ships' specs, about McMillan, even his personal comm code, his current assignment of upgrading the Constitution and Constellation ships. That was certainly not broadcasted or talked about anywhere for fear the wrong ears would hear about the upgrades. They knew about Commander Gayda's work, knew the San Fran Space Port was slotted for that same kind of work. Too much inside information for it to be an outsider. It's time we dig deep for answers, Mr. Spock. Find out all you can and report back to me as soon as possible. Scotty, Gavin and Sonaii will do the same from Planitia. I have Bones working on a psychological profile of this person."

"Yes, Captain. I will leave immediately. Spock out."

Jim closed his comm. Spock's voice had been stiff and distant as he signed off, the usual warmth in the baritone voice when he spoke with Jim lacking. It had been the mention of Bones of course. It was too bad, but it couldn't be helped.

Jim knew, as did most human beings that sometimes the road to an honest and fulfilling friendship was not an easy one, but he hoped that Spock would be able to traverse his path toward human friendships successfully. As Captain, part of Jim's job was to guide and mentor his officers, especially his senior bridge officers, but most especially the younger junior officers who were recent graduates of the Academy. True, Spock was already a senior officer with years of experience, but when Jim assumed command of the _Enterprise_, it soon became apparent that in spite of serving for years aboard _Enterprise_, first under Captain April, then under Captain Pike, neither of the two Captains had done any type of mentoring with Spock. In Jim's opinion, both men had erred on the side of caution, leaving the Vulcan Ambassador's son strictly alone except when he was on duty on the bridge.

When Jim took over Command from Captain Pike, Spock's behavior as First Officer had been correct and respectful to his new Captain, but he remained distant, aloof, and sometimes even disdainful toward Jim's other Bridge officers, and most especially toward Bones. That behavior Jim would not tolerate. He set about correcting Spock's supercilious attitude immediately. He did it tactfully and gently, and for the most part he'd been successful. Spock had learned quickly the kind of behavior Jim expected from him on the Bridge and at staff meetings. Now he treated Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, and Scotty, respectfully, courteously, and occasionally even cordially. All except for Bones. At first, Jim had been amused by Spock and Bones' bickering, thinking it a benign and entertaining game for both men, but now that he had spoken to Bones and knew what was behind it, he realized Spock's behavior was not so benign.

Jim had begun to set some much needed boundaries with his First Officer, and, Jim mused, Spock was brilliant. His giant Vulcan brain was already at work figuring out a new paradigm of correct behavior with Bones. He was sure that sooner than later, Spock would figure it out.

He left his bedroom in search for Peter. He was waiting for Jim lemonade in hand. "Thanks, Squirt. Let's sit down and drink this down. It's getting warm." They sat on the porch stoop and drank thirstily. "I understand you invited some friends over for this afternoon?"

Peter nodded. "I know you have work to do, Uncle Jim. Noni and Dr. Bones told me they have some work to do too, so I thought it'd be a good time to invite them."

Jim put his arm around the small shoulders. "A very good time, and it's true, we do have work to do. However right now we can continue to play catch for a while, eat lunch together, and this evening I thought it'd be fun to have dinner at Mama's. I thought you could invite your friends to go with us if their parents give them permission. After dinner we can take them home. What do you think of that idea?"

Peter grinned. "I like it a lot. I'll be right back, Uncle Jim. I'll go comm my friends so they can get permission."

"Take your time, Squirt, I still have to make a comm call to Jonathon."

Waiting until Peter was inside, he flipped open his comm.

"Jim, how are you?"

"Still trying to find some answers, Jonathon. Just wanted to check in to see if you got any hits on your search."

"I was going to comm you, Jim. I've got more wanted notices to go through, but I did get a couple of hits on two suspicious sabotage incidents. However, they were years ago. The two cases are still open, the perpetrator was never found. One was in a small town in Northern California; a Fleet mid-size shuttle was diverted there when it had engine trouble. Fleet left it there to be repaired and there was an explosion on board. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but it was definitely sabotage. A threatening note was sent to law enforcement just before the explosion. The second hit was similar, but it was in Oregon. Again a small town, again a Fleet issued hovercraft that needed repair, again an explosion, and again a threatening note."

At Jonathon's words a fleeting thought niggled at the back of Jim's brain. He tried to grasp it, but it was gone before he could. He sighed. He'd learned that it was best to let those tickles in his brain go, they came back eventually without his forcing his mind to grasp at them.

"Would you be able to get copies of those notes, Jonathon? I can have Bones compare them to the recent threatening letters."

"I can try. I'll call in a couple of favors; say I'm trying to tie those old cases to a current one. I'll let you know, Jim."

"Thanks, Jonathon. Keep at it when you have the time. I know you have a lot of work to do."

"I'm happy to help out. This case has gone way up in my queue of important cases. We can't let this nut case destroy our ships. We need them. Talk to you later. Romaine out."

Jim went inside. It was almost time for lunch, and he was hungry. No one was in the kitchen and there was no sign of Peter either. Bones and his mother must still be in her office looking at the threatening letters.

"Ma, Bones! Where are you? It's almost time for lunch and Peter is having friends coming after lunch."

His mother came hurrying out of her office. "Goodness, Jim. Time got away from Len and me. Let me get started on lunch, dear."

"No, Ma. I just wanted to let you know I was going to make sandwiches for everyone. You and Bones finish what you were doing."

"Thank you son, we're almost finished. I'm using a linguistic comparison algorithm on all three letters. The computer will spot definitive phrases, syntax similarities, nouns, verbs, spelling, as well as punctuation choices that are the same."

Jim stared at his mother. "That's brilliant! I didn't realize you could do that with the letters!"

Winona smiled, her one dimple peeking out. "It's software I use often in my research of different humanoid cultures and different species' language. Xenoanthropologists have many such tools at their disposal. How beings use language is embedded in the psyche, in the DNA of a species, almost impossible to root out. Word choice, syntax, vocabulary, and cadence? All imprinted in our brains from infancy, then added to, layered, deleted, subtracted, all of it automatic and effortlessly acquired; in humans from birth, in other species sometimes even in the womb."

"That's fascinating, Ma." Jim smiled to himself at his own use of Spock's favorite word. "But how is that applicable to the letters?"

"These computer algorithms are designed to identify a person's innate speech attributes. No matter how a being tries to hide those innate speech patterns, which in this case is translated into writing, it's impossible. The algorithms will find and identify them. Maybe that will give us some clues to follow up."

"What kind of clues?"

"Like is this person human, or of another species? Male or female, non binary, young or old? Things like that. It's not exact, of course, but I'll get the report of probability percentiles for each attribute."

Jim nodded his understanding. He felt a flush of excitement. Maybe they would be able to narrow things down, because right now they had nothing.

"Ma, Jonathon found two old open cases of sabotage, from years ago. The cases were never solved, but there are similarities to this sabotage case. He's going to try to get copies of those two letters, so we can compare them to the current ones."

Leonard coming in overheard Jim. "That'll be real helpful."

"What was your take on this last letter, Bones?"

"I've read all three letters several times. From the sound of this last one, I believe this person's behavior is escalatin'; their obsession is becomin' harder to control. In my opinion, there will definitely be another attempt on one of the ships."

He looked worriedly at Jim. "The attempt may be here or on Planitia. There's no way of predictin' where. Also, because the obsession is escalatin', it may be an even bigger explosion, a way for them to make a larger statement. It would probably be wise to give everyone at both space ports a heads up about what may happen. They should definitely up their security measures."

"I've sent Spock to the San Francisco space port. I'll update him on your suspicions, have him warn Commander Gayda. Admiral Hahn needs to be told too."

"Perhaps it'd be best if you don't mention that I'm the one who thinks it might happen, Jim." Leonard looked uncertainly at him. "He'd give the information a lot more weight if he thinks it's comin' from you."

Jim's temper flared. "It's extremely important information, Bones, whether it comes from you or from me doesn't matter. Spock needs to share it with Commander Gayda and Admiral Hahn; it's not up to him to decide. I don't have time for Spock's delicate sensibilities!" He added irritably.

"Jim is right, Len," Winona told him. "Your analysis is right on the money. It's your professional conclusion as an astute profiler. Whatever information Jim shares with Mr. Spock, there should be nothing personal in his reaction to your analysis of the saboteur. It would not be logical," she added, smiling faintly.

"Ma's right, Bones. We are not going to tip toe around Spock and his misguided perceptions of friendship. Your contributions to this investigation are important and absolutely necessary to its success."

Leonard's blue eyes were dubious, but he nodded. "All right, Jim. I know every bit of information counts in investigations like these."

"Damn straight! Now let's fix those sandwiches. Peter's friends will be here soon."

The kitchen was quiet as the sandwiches were fixed. Jim set out chips in a bowl, Winona cut the sandwiches in half, and Leonard poured the tea and milk.

"Peter, dear, lunch is ready," called his grandmother.

"Coming, Noni."

They were in the middle of lunch, when Jim's communicator beeped. "It's Jonathon," Jim said, getting up and stepping out side to talk in private. "Jonathon. What's up?"

"Jim, I was able to get copies of those letters for you, the old ones."

"That was fast," Jim said, elated. "How did you manage it?"

"It wasn't hard. Since the cases were still open, I just had to request copies from the two police departments. When I mentioned we had a similar case, they were eager to help. I'm sending you the copies now."

"Thanks, Jonathon. I'll pass them on to Ma and Bones. Ma is running the letters through one of her Xenoanthropological software. It identifies speech patterns, syntax, verb choices, stuff like that. Let's see what comes of that. I'll have Bones compare the letters to the new ones, and Ma can add these to the others."

"Sounds promising, Jim. Keep me in the loop, and if there's anything else you need, just let me know. Happy to help."

"I will. Kirk out." Jim looked at his comm and saw the two letters had arrived. He sent them immediately to Bones and to his mother's comms.

Since he was outside, he might as well comm Spock and have him pass on Bones' concerns and warnings to Commander Gayda and Admiral Hahn.

"Spock here, Captain," came the baritone voice.

"Spock, are you at the space port yet?"

"I am not; I will be there in 10.3 minutes, Sir."

"Good, I'm glad I caught you before you spoke with Commander Gayda and Admiral Hahn. I had Bones take a look at those letters, Spock. I asked him to analyze them in order to form a profile of the writer." He went on to tell Spock about Bones' analysis and his concerns that the saboteur was escalating his threatening behavior, that the doctor felt both space ports should be warned about another explosion. He also told Spock about the two unsolved cases and acquiring copies of the old letters.

There was a moment of silence from Spock. "As his immediate supervisor, it has been my experience that Dr. McCoy tends to exaggerate possible negative consequences to certain actions and behaviors. For example, Sir, using the transporter, or your desire to explore new worlds and cultures. He is extreme in his verbal cautions to you, and quite negative about the use of transporter technology. Perhaps this is a similar reaction, his usual "worst case scenario."

Jim shook his head at the comment, lips thinned in exasperation and irritation even if Spock couldn't see him. "I have the utmost confidence in Bones, Mr. Spock. He's proven to be an excellent profiler during several of our missions, even with the behavior of non-humanoid alien beings. With your eidetic memory I'm sure you will recall those missions," Jim said, his voice clipped.

A brief pause. "You are correct, Captain. I do recall those missions and the Doctor's contributions. It seems I was hasty in my assessment of his skills."

"You were indeed, Mr. Spock. I trust it will not happen again." Jim said, shortly. "Bones is as excellent and skilled in his field as you are in yours. You need to recognize that and make use of those skills, not ignore them. The three of us are a team, Mr. Spock, as are the rest of the command crew. We are stronger working together than we would be working alone. I expect that in time we'll become a tight cohesive team, able to trust and depend on each other, listen to each other's opinions and points of view respectfully and with an open mind. See that you don't forget that, because that's the way I approach command."

"Yes, Captain. I understand. You are saying that you value the doctor's emotional input as much as you value my logical one, and that we both assist you in making a more informed decision."

"That's absolutely correct, Mr. Spock. _Atta boy Spock, you're getting the picture now. "_That will be all for now, Mr. Spock. Report to me after you speak to Commander Gayda and Admiral Hahn."

"Yes, Sir. Spock out."

Jim closed his comm and saw three children coming down the Kirk road on their bikes. Peter's friends had arrived.

"Hi everyone." He smiled at the children,

"Hello, Captain Kirk," came the awed, shy responses.

"Glad you could all make it, kids. Did your parents say it was okay for you to go to dinner with us?"

Three little heads nodded. "We all brought nicer clothes to wear to the restaurant," one of them told Jim. And sure enough, in the bike baskets Jim could see that each one had a small duffel with an extra set of clothes.

His lips twitched, but he kept a straight face. "Perfect. Mama Salvatore does like to see her customers dressed nicely. Why don't you all go inside? Peter is in his room. His Noni will have cookies and milk for you later this afternoon."

Bikes were dropped quickly and with a hurried chorus of "Thanks, Captain Kirk," the three little boys ran inside to find Peter.

Jim went back in the house in a more leisurely manner, to find Bones and Winona sitting in the living room. Bones looked up grinning. "A herd of stampeding elephants just ran by us. Good thing we were out of the way."

"They're excited...even brought extra "nice" clothes for dinner."

Winona got up. "Then I better start on those cookies...a quick chocolate chip recipe." She smiled at them. "I'll save some for the two big boys."

Jim sat down. "Now I have to wait for reports. Gavin, Sonaii, Scotty, and Spock. Jonathon too, if he finds out anything more." He grimaced. "I hate waiting."

"I know you do, Jim. Did everythin' go okay with Spock?" Leonard asked anxiously.

Jim frowned. "For the most part. Had to get a little forceful with him, but I think he's got the picture now."

"Jim! You didn't hurt his feelings did you?"

"Bones, he's a Vulcan! According to Spock himself, he doesn't have feelings, they're not logical," Jim added, dryly.

"Jim, of course he has feelings! Just because he doesn't express them doesn't mean he doesn't have them. True, our feelings are very important, but you know that logic," Leonard said using air quotes, "can be useful sometimes too."

Jim laughed. "You don't have to defend Spock to me, Bones, I know his strengths. He wouldn't do the same for you, you know."

"I know, Jim. I know he thinks I'm an illogical, emotional, irrational human. He's made that quite clear a number of times."

"He'll come around. How could he resist all that southern charm of yours?" Jim teased.

Leonard snorted. "Yeah, right. Maybe instead I should try usin' that logic stuff myself."

Jim reached over and gave him a warm one arm hug. "Not on your life, Bones McCoy! I like you exactly the way you are. You're how I need you to be to keep me on the straight and narrow. Don't ever change. Now come on, let's go see if Ma's computer program has found out anything, and you can get to work on those two old letters."


	12. Chapter 12

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 12 **

"**When you pay attention to a threat, you worry...**

**Reducing or mitigating the risk is not adequate; **

**to eliminate the worry the probability must be brought down to zero." **

**Daniel Kahneman**

In Winona's study, Jim checked the computer. It was still working on the three letters. "Ma," he called. "Could you come here please?"

"Coming, Jim. Just putting the cookies in the oven." She came in with the apron still tied around her slim waist. "What is it, sweetheart?"

"At this point, is it okay to stop the analysis of the three letters and add these two that Jonathon sent me?"

"I don't see why not. Let me input the new letters and I'll ask for a new analysis. It'll take a little longer, though."

Jim handed her the chip. "It's important to analyze them together, see if the same person wrote them."

"Yes, I think it's a good idea." Winona sat down, put in the new algorithms to include the two new letters, gave the computer its new instruction, and it began its analysis. "Now we just have to wait. Come to the kitchen, you two. I need taste testers for the new cookie recipe. I took a shortcut and I hope they still taste just as good."

The kitchen door slammed and they heard the children shrieking and laughing outside. They all grinned.

"Cain't wait 'til Joanna gets here. She's gonna have so much fun," Leonard told them.

"It'll be so nice to have a little girl around the house again," Winona smiled. "Not that I don't love and enjoy all the little boys around here, and the big boys too," she added, "but I loved it when Violet used to come over. How I loved that child. She was such a sweet, affectionate little girl; Davy is very much like her. We would bake together and talk about all sorts of things. She was an only child, and her parents were older, so she loved coming here to play with the other children. She adored Sam, didn't she, Jim?"

"She sure did. Sam saved us from a bully at school once and she never forgot it. He was her hero. **(1) **He was mine too, always the best big brother," Jim added softly.

"He was, wasn't he," Winona smiled mistily. She turned to Len. "He adored Jim. You never saw a happier child than Sam when he heard he was going to have a little brother. I lost a baby between Sam and Jim," she told Leonard, "and for a while George and I feared Sam would be an only child. Then Jim came and we were all so happy! You have no idea, Len. There wasn't a more loved baby than Jim. The three of us, his Davis grandparents, his Kirk grandparents, his aunts, uncles and cousins. They all adored Jim the minute they saw him. It didn't hurt that he was the most gorgeous baby, big hazel eyes, blond curls, and the most beautiful baby smile you ever saw!"

"Ma!" Jim protested, red in the face. "Stop, please! Bones doesn't want to hear all that!"

"'Course I do!" Leonard said grinning widely. "Can't wait to tell the rest of the Command crew 'bout baby Jim. Do tell me more, Winona." His blue eyes were alight with mischief.

Winona laughed, looking at her embarrassed son. "I'll save some stories for later, Len. Right now there are cookies for you two to taste."

Jim sighed in relief, and glowered at Bones. _You better not_, his hazel eyes threatened the blue ones. The blue ones crinkled at the corners, looking innocently back. _I make no promises. _

The cookies were of course delicious. "When have you ever made anything that wasn't delicious, Ma," Jim chided her.

"I've had a few failures, I just didn't advertise them. I'm going to make extra to freeze for Nyota, Violet, and Davy," she added. "Ny comes tomorrow. I can't wait to have her here. We always have so much fun together."

"She sure loves comin' here, Win. We all do," Leonard assured her.

"Jim dear, I finished the guest list. Today I'll choose the invitations and get them done. Tomorrow, when Ny is here, we'll go over the menu and contact the caterers. Violet said she'd help with the flowers and decorations for the tables. I think I'd like some lighting outside in the yard, maybe some lanterns on the tables?"

"Whatever you want, Ma. We'll get it done."

The back door slammed as children ran in. "Noni, we're hungry. Are the cookies ready?"

The two men stood up. "They sure are. You kids sit down," Leonard told them.

"Go wash your hands first," ordered Winona.

There was another stampede toward the bathroom. The three adults smiled at the happy noise. From the study came the sound of a ping.

"Jim, that's the computer. The analysis is finished."

"Finally," muttered Jim.

"Send the results to our pads, son, so we can all look at the analysis. I'll be with you as soon as I serve the children's cookies and milk."

Jim hurried to the study, Leonard close behind him. He closed the door and opened the completed analysis data file, peering closely at the screen trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "Computer, send results to the following comm codes." He rattled off Winona's, Bones' and his codes. The padds pinged and both men looked at the report. "Can't make heads or tails of this, Bones."

"Let's just wait for Winona, Jim. She's the expert."

The two men waited impatiently for Winona to finish with the children. Finally the study door opened and she came in smiling. "My super quick cookies were a big hit. Guess the recipe is a keeper. Now then, let's see what the report tells us."

"I couldn't make heads or tails of it, Ma."

"I know, son. I had to have special training from IT in order to interpret the results of the reports. The algorithms are complicated and interpretation can be tricky."

"No wonder," Jim murmured. The children's infectious laughter could be heard outside through the window. He smiled slightly, happy that Peter was having a good time.

"Let me study this for a few minutes, and I should be able to give you some information."

Jim's communicator beeped. "Kirk here." Jim stepped just outside the study door so as not to disturb his mother's concentration.

"Captain. Spock here."

"Yes, Mr. Spock?"

"Sir, I spoke with Commander Gayda and Admiral Hahn. I imparted your concerns to them about another possible explosion. I told them about Dr. McCoy's belief that from his analysis of the perpetrator's letters, his behavior appears to be escalating. I stressed that the doctor felt the explosion could happen at either Space Port."

"What was their reaction, Spock?"

"They became quite alarmed. The stated that they placed great emphasis and trust in Dr. McCoy's profile of the perpetuator. It seems that Dr. McCoy's expertise and reputation are highly thought of here in San Francisco." Spock sounded faintly surprised.

"Of course it is," Jim said shortly. "Bones reputation is highly thought of everywhere, Spock. If you only knew how many requests for his services have come across my desk that I've turned down. I get requests from other ships, SFM, other Federation worlds and I've said no to all of them and in no uncertain terms may I add. Bones could leave us for a more prestigious, better paid assignment any time he wanted to."

"I was not aware of that fact, Captain," Spock still sounded faintly surprised. "To continue, Sir. Admiral Hahn and Commander Gayda informed me that the Security Department is stretched very thin. Admiral Hahn is going to recall all Security personnel who are on vacation, off duty, or assigned to somewhere else. He's also activating the security bots for patrol."

"At least it's a start, Spock. I'm hoping the high visibility of so many red shirts and security bots, as well as those who are undercover will provide a strong deterrent. Of course a lot depends on how arrogant the saboteur is, he may think he can outsmart all of us who are searching for him."

"I have received the list of all personnel who work on the ships from Commander Gayda and will now commence questioning them. The list is long, Captain, and I have not yet had time to cross reference the personnel list to determine if any of them have a double expertise in Engineering and computer algorithms coding. I fear it will take some time before I have a report for you, Sir."

"I thought as much, Spock. Be thorough, and report back to me when you can. Kirk out."

Winona looked up when Jim came back in to the study. "The program algorithms have analyzed a few descriptors of the saboteur's linguistic patterns for you, son."

"That's amazing, Ma. What did it tell us?"

"First of all, according to the algorithms, the first two letters Jonathon gave you were written by a young person, not an adult. Syntax, word choices, punctuation all point to a school age person, most probably an adolescent. However, according to their present linguistic pattern this is the same person who wrote the second set of letters, but as an adult with more education, and with a wider vocabulary. They gained sophistication in expressing themselves, but their inherent linguistic choices haven't changed. I should explain that linguistic patterns are ingrained in the brain from birth. Siblings, parents, teachers, friends, all imprint the new born babe with native linguistic patterns in the newborn's brain. So far, dear, I've found it to be so in all species that have speech...without exception," she added. "And that has even proven to be so in telepathic species that still use speech, like Betazoids and Vulcans."

"You sure, Ma? It's the same person?"

"I've found the program to be accurate, but as you well know, nothing is a hundred percent accurate, son. Another thing, Jim. This person is not human. Standard is a second language acquisition for them, probably acquired when they entered school. The algorithm could not determine what their first language was."

She looked at the report carefully. "One final thing the software picked up. Word choices in the letters are formal yet aggressive and hostile. The threat words flow naturally, not hesitantly. This indicates they are of a species that probably values aggressive confrontations and are generally unconcerned about taking risks. I think those are the salient points in the report, Jim. If you get more letters I can run the program again and update the data."

"Okay, that's a great start. I'll pass this information on to Scotty, McMillan, Gavin and Sonaii...and to Spock, too. Might prove valuable in his interrogations."

"Let me summarize and bullet the findings for you, Jim. You can send them like that. Much easier for everyone to understand them that way."

"Thanks, Ma," Jim said giving her a grateful kiss on her curly head. "No wonder Fleet thinks so highly of you."

"Couldn't agree more, Win."

"I have to let the Planitia team know about this latest Intel. Between this and Bones' profile we might actually get somewhere. Excuse me while I comm Gavin. Ma, I made reservation with Mama Salvatore for 6. I thought an early dinner would work best with the children. We can get them home at a reasonable hour." He smiled. "They informed me they brought "nice" clothes for dinner."

"In that case I better get them in the shower, it'll take a while. I'll use both bathrooms; it'll be quick showers I can assure you. Let me grab some extra towels and get them inside."

Bones chuckled. "Be prepared to hear some moans and groans. I just wish JoJo was here already. She'd be havin' a grand time."

"I can't wait to see her." Jim loved the child and she loved Jim. She had started calling him Uncle Jim as soon as she could talk. "She'll have a great time. Peter really likes her a lot. They had a wonderful time at Christmas, remember?"

"They sure did. Peter was great with my JoJo." Leonard sighed. "Jim, I cain't thank you enough for having me and JoJo here. I doubt Jocelyn would have let me have my little girl for all her spring vacation if I wasn't here at the farm. It wouldn't have been the same if I'd stayed with Jonathon, comin' and goin' every day."

"That was never going to happen, Bones. You and Joanna are family. Our home is your home. You don't ever have to worry about it being any different."

Jim commed Gavin and Sonaii on the encrypted line. "I'm sending you Ma's findings, Gavin. Pass the report on to McMillan and Scotty. Sonaii, you'll probably have to explain it to McMillan, he's not very tech savvy unless it deals with ships and engines." He heard Sonaii chuckle.

"How are things going with you two? Any progress on tracing those letters?"

"Not yet, Captain," Sonaii answered. "McMillan's comm station was antiquated. Gavin and I had to start from scratch updating it. Scrapped most of it, so we wasted time there. We're almost finished and I can begin the trace."

"Figured as much when I saw it." Jim sighed for the wasted time, but it couldn't be helped.

"We had breakfast in the mess with the staff. Friendly bunch seemed to accept our presence well. Bit of grousing about how they're always the last to get any updated tech, but nothing aggressive or hostile, just resigned. We heard a bit of general gossip too, but nothing helpful. They think highly of their boss, couldn't detect any personal animosity toward him. They're proud of their work, especially proud of working on the big ships. They know peace in the Alpha quadrant depends on them. If there's any animosity, it's very well hidden," Gavin told Jim.

"Well Ma's report and Bones' profile should help. I still think it's an inside job, guys, so stay sharp. Keep asking discreet questions."

"We'll be breaking for dinner soon, they eat early here, they're a bunch of tired, hungry yard dogs. Ordinarily we'd work through lunch and dinner too, but I think the more accessible and visible we are, the more the yard dogs will accept our presence, and maybe even confide a thing or two as they get used to us being here," Gavin told Jim.

"Good point. Okay, talk later guys. Kirk out."

Next on the agenda, call Spock to send him Winona's report. It would be useful in his interrogation of the San Fran personnel.

"Spock here, Captain."

"How is the questioning going, Spock? Any progress?"

"Negative, Sir. However I have just begun, and in order for the process to be thorough, it is slow. It will be shift change soon, Captain, so I will have to continue with the Beta shift tomorrow."

"I understand, Mr. Spock. We don't want to keep anyone past their shift. I'm sending you a report my mother generated with computer algorithms she uses in her research. It adds to Bones' profile and gives us more information to go on. I just had a thought, but I'll comm you later, Spock. Read Ma's report and go back to your interrogations, keeping in mind the descriptors in the report. It should facilitate your interrogations. Kirk out."

Jim quickly commed Sonaii hoping the two men were still in McMillan's office.

"Connolly here, Sir."

"Sonaii, I just had a thought. Is it possible for you to access the personnel files of all the yard dogs?"

"Yes, Sir. It's possible."

"Excellent. I'd like to see if you can find a someone who meets the criteria from Ma's report: a young, non-human individual who's had training in both warp and impulse engines maintenance and removal, someone who learned Standard as a second language, probably in school, someone whose psyche profile shows an assertive/aggressive personality, someone who was assigned to the San Francisco Space Dock and then transferred to Planitia, or assigned to Planitia, then transferred to San Francisco. Would you be able to do that, Sonaii?"

"Yes, Captain, I can. And yes, I can input those parameters you sent us and the search will go much faster. It would still take some time, though, and, Sir, all personnel files are classified and encrypted, so I'd need permission and an access code from Admiral Corrigan."

"Get Gavin to take care of that for you, Sonaii. I don't think he'll have any difficulty getting permission. The C in C has given this mission the highest priority. If Admiral Corrigan balks for some reason, I'll speak to Admiral Nogura myself to get permission."

"I'll tell Gavin to speak with the Admiral. I'll text you with a yes or no answer from Admiral Corrigan, Sir."

"Good. Kirk out."

Jim looked at the time and went to look for his mother. He found four very clean, neatly combed children sitting in the living room watching a vid.

"Hi, Uncle Jim. Noni told us to sit in here until dinner time and not get dirty."

Jim ginned at the four solemn little faces. "Good thinking on Noni's part. We'll be ready to go soon. I'm getting hungry, bet you are too." All four children nodded.

"Now the adults need to shower and change to do you kids' credit. We'll be ready in about half an hour. Just enough time to finish one more episode." Jim saw it was "The Lone Ranger" one of Peter's favorites. The ancient episodes had been completely re-edited, sound enhanced, remastered, and re issued. Peter loved any vid with horses in it, and Silver was a particular favorite. He had researched everything he could on the beautiful white stallion.

He found Bones and Winona in the kitchen, already showered and dressed. "I'll be ready to go after a shower. Ma, you did wonders with the kids. Never have seen four kids that clean and all at the same time."

"And they'll stay that way," Winona laughed. "They're excited. Such a good idea you had doing this for Peter, sweetheart. Just the kind of thing Sam would have done." She gave Jim a tender glance.

"Thanks, Ma." Jim cleared his suddenly constricted throat. "I'll be showered and changed in 30 minutes."

"He's doing better talking about Sam," Leonard said softly, watching Jim as he left the room. He gave Winona a keen look. "You are too, Win."

"It's because of Peter, Len. I often talk to him about Sam and Aurelan. I want him to feel comfortable doing the same, remembering his parents who loved him so much. It's getting a little easier."

"It's still real hard for Jim; I don't think he'll ever really get over Sam's death. I think he feels some guilt the ship didn't get to Deneva soon enough." Leonard held up his hand. "I know, Win. It was already too late by the time Jim knew about those parasites." He shuddered. "In his head he knows that, but it hurts him. But he feels the same as you do. He wants Peter to remember his mom and dad, all their good times together. We talk about Sam sometimes in his quarters, focus on happy memories. He's doing better this trip, don't you think?"

Winona nodded. "We both are."

Jim came out hair still damp, curling slightly, dressed in slacks and a green long sleeved shirt. "Ready to go?"

"Boys," Winona called. "We're ready to go! Peter did you check on Sorrel and feed him?"

The children trooped in excitedly. "I did, Noni," Peter assured her. "He ate already and he's in his basket snoozing."

"All right, then. We're all ready to go, Jim."

"We'll all go in my rental, Ma. It's a large one, a three seater, so there's plenty of room, everyone will fit nicely. Onward troops," Jim said, opening the back door with a flourish. "Mama Salvatore's delicious food awaits us!"

—

**(1) See "Rain of Stars" **


	13. Chapter 13

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 13**

"**We love the things that can destroy us, **

**because in that destruction we truly feel alive." **

**Robert Pobi**

Dinner at Mama Salvatore's was, as always, delicious. Mama, Papa, Marie, and Gino were delighted to see Jim and Bones, and the two men received affectionate, excited hugs and kisses. Mama ushered them all into one of the private rooms. She had arranged two smaller tables side by side so the adults and children could sit separately. The little boys ordered the usual spaghetti with meat sauce, while the adults decided to order three separate entrees to share: fettuccine with citrus and shrimp, linguini with clam sauce, and risotto with walnuts and Tuscan kale. Along with her delicious homemade bread, dipping sauce, and their plan to also share desserts, their choices were more than enough to include left overs to take home. Mama's serving portions were very generous!

All the Salvatores came in and out to chat as their food was served. Gino brought in a bottle of wine and caught Jim up on his travels to Italy in search for new wine suppliers. Marie, one of Jim's oldest friends caught him up on family news and some gentle gossip about their old school mates. Mama and Papa just came in to chat about Winona's birthday party and Riverside life in general.

After their desserts, cannelloni, tiramisu, with Expresso for the adults, and gelato for the children, goodbye hugs and kisses, Jim flew the children to their respective homes, then he turned the shuttle toward the farm house.

"Did you and the boys enjoy the evening, Peter?" Jim asked, looking down at the small sandy head cuddled up next to him.

"It was a lot of fun, Uncle Jim. We had a great time, thanks for taking us."

"You're welcome, Squirt. Glad the boys could join us." He felt Peter's small warm body snuggle closer to him in spite of the restricting shuttle harness. In the back seat, Leonard and Winona exchanged indulgent smiles. It had been a good evening all the way around.

Jim landed the shuttle in his mother's back pasture, and unstrapped Peter's complicated front seat harness. "It's still early, how about a game of chess, Squirt? Now that your bedtime is later, I bet we could finish a game. If we don't finish, we'll continue it tomorrow. What do you think of that idea?" He ruffled the child's hair affectionately.

"I like it and I sure like that I can go to bed later now," Peter added, giving his grandmother a mischievous grin.

"As long as I see that you're getting up in the morning with no problem, this new bedtime can continue," Winona smiled back at him.

They settled in the living room. Jim set up the chess board, Winona worked on one of her quilts and Leonard read on his padd. After a game and a brief strategy lesson explaining how sacrificing his knight had won Jim the game, he glanced at the antique wall clock that still kept good time in spite of its age. "It's bed time, Peter. We'll play another game tomorrow."

"Okay, Uncle Jim, thanks again for taking me and my friends to such a great dinner." He hugged and kissed his Uncle Jim good night and then went round to the others. He kissed Winona good night and hugged Leonard. "Come on, Sorrel, bed time." The cat chirped, trailing obediently after him to the bedroom.

Leonard watched him affectionately. "He's doin' so well, Win," he said softly. "He looks healthy and happy. He's come a long way. You're doin' a fantastic job with him."

"Thank you for saying that, Leonard. Jim and I will never be able to repay you for all you've done for Peter. We owe you so much. His recovery from the trauma of Deneva wouldn't have been nearly as fast without your vigilant care of him."

"I wholeheartedly agree with Ma, Bones." Jim stood, putting an affectionate hand on Bones' shoulder. "I'm going to check on the animals, and take a look at the night sky. The stars always shine brightest here at the farm."

"He's very worried about the ship...all the ships, I should say," Leonard murmured to Winona, as Jim went out the door. "Sure hope he and his team can get to the bottom of this sabotage business. We cain't afford to lose even one ship," he added. "Not with the Klingons and Romulans just lookin' for a weak spot in the Fleet."

Winona turned a worried face to him. "The Constitution ships are famous for their exploration, their deterrent capacities, and for keeping the peace across the Alpha quadrant. Why would anyone want to destroy them, Len?"

"We're talkin' about someone who's not all there mentally, Win. My thinkin', and it's just a guess, is that something might've happened to this person that started them on this path. Somethin' traumatic probably, blames the Fleet ships for whatever it was that happened. The idea took hold back then, and it's grown and taken over."

"You would think someone would have noticed the aberrant behavior and insisted on psychiatric treatment or counseling," she mused.

"They've probably hidden the obsession real well, Win. This person blends into regular society, doesn't attract attention, and talks a good game."

The sound of the screen door closing, and then the heavy wooden door being locked, signaled Jim's return. "The stars are particularly beautiful tonight," he told them contently. "Very little moon-light to dim their beauty. You're lucky there's so little ambient light from Riverside, Ma."

"I agree. Peter and I love to go out and gaze at the night sky." She smiled up at her son, remembering that even as a toddler Jim had loved the stars. George would carry him outside and he'd point his little finger up to the sky and say, "peety Papa."

"I think I'll turn in," she told the two men. "Goodnight, sweetheart, sleep well," she kissed Jim's smooth cheek.

"Night, Ma. Sleep well. I'm turning in myself; it's been a long day."

Both men were deeply asleep, when the strident beeping of Jim's communicator shattered their peaceful slumber.

"Jim...it's too early, turn off the alarm," Leonard mumbled from the other bed into his pillow.

"It's my encrypted communicator. Wake up, Bones! Something must be wrong." Jim got up and went to the chest of drawers where he'd placed his comm.

"Who is it?" Leonard sat up in bed, now thoroughly alarmed.

"It's Gavin." Jim flipped his comm open. "What's happened, Gavin?"

"Jim!" Gavin's agitated voice came in loud and clear. "There's been another explosion! Here on Planitia this time. It's one of the old ships, _The Endeavor. _It's the last of the NX class Starships. It's was brought here to Planitia, McMillan told us. Its going to be completely rebuilt. It'll be the first of the new Columbia class Starships."

Jim swallowed hard. "Anyone hurt, Gavin?"

"Not that we've heard. Gamma shift wasn't scheduled to work on the ship yet."

"How badly was it damaged?"

"McMillan and Scotty are doing an assessment of the damage. Security is scouring the entire base, looking for any suspicious person...I doubt if they'll find anyone. There is one positive thing, Jim. The ship was slated to be completely gutted, rebuilt from the ground up, totally new specs for the Columbia class." Jim could hear some murmuring and noise over the comm.

"Just a minute, Scotty just got here. He wants to talk to you."

Jim hopped around on one leg, scrambling out of his sleep pants and trying to get into his regular clothes one handed. He was sure there wouldn't be any more sleep tonight.

Leonard too, got out of bed and got dressed while Jim quickly brought him up to speed. "While you talk to Scotty, I'll go make us some coffee, Jim."

"Captain," Scotty's burr was more pronounced like it was when he was upset or stressed. "McMillan, meself and Ensign Zalaa Sh'tyhlath, his assistant, who volunteered to help us, just finished assessing the damage to _Endeavor_. Furr surre it could have been a lot worse. She was gonna' be gutted anyway, completely rebuilt from the inside out with a new warp core, new impulse engines, new bridge, almost everything new. Most of the blast damage was to the Bridge area. All the main consoles were destroyed, her deck plating, and the bulkheads are all gone. That lass, Zalaa, crawled over, under, and through that bridge to help us assess the damage. That wee lass could fit in places Fergus and I couldn't, Captain. Science, navigation, helm and communication hubs are gone, Captain, and there's a giant hole in the middle of the Bridge. We, Security, McMillan and I, think that was the origin of the blast. Don't know yet what explosives were used, though. The main blast also took out the front view screen. It was Gamma shift, so no one was working on her at the time, for which we can be mighty thankful. A blast that strong? There would have been severe injuries and lives lost. So far there are no reports of injuries. The purr old lass, Captain, served the Fleet well for many years," Scotty said mournfully. "It's gonna take a lot of time to give her a new life, couple of years at least. She's a sad sight, Sirr."

"Has Security come up with anything at all, Scotty?"

"Nay, Captain. Right now they're all over the ship looking to see exactly where the bomb was placed and what kind of explosives were used. I'll report back when they find out something. I'll tell ye this, Sir, now, more than ever, I believe 'tis someone on this base that's behind all this. With Security visible all over the base, and them that's undercover too, only someone who knows this base inside out could have gotten those explosives inside the ship without being seen."

"I agree with you, Scotty." Jim rubbed wearily at his temple. There were hundreds of crew and support staff working and living on Planitia. The proverbial needle in the haystack. "Keep me posted. I'll need to report your information to Admiral Nogura immediately. Tell Gavin I'll comm him in a few minutes. All of you be careful, Scotty. We're dealing with an obsessed very dangerous person."

"Aye, Sir. Don't envy you having to tell the Admiral the latest. Scott out."

Bones came in with the coffee mugs and sat on the bed to listen.

"Thanks, Bones." Jim murmured, already connecting with Commander Rhodes. He put the comm on audio so Bones could also hear their conversation.

Jim decided to leave it in Commander Rhodes' capable hands whether to wake up the C in C at 3:00 am or not. Rhodes experience with giving the C in C bad news was far greater than Jim's. He inputted the Commander's comm code using his encrypted comm and Rhodes answered immediately. Jim wondered if the man ever slept. In the years Jim had known him as aide to the C in C, Commander Rhodes was always available 24/7 in his service to the Admiral.

"Captain Kirk, from looking at the time, I assume that this call is not going to be welcome news for Admiral Nogura," Rhodes said dryly as he answered his comm.

"No, Commander, I'm afraid it is bad news. There's been another explosion, this time on Planitia." Jim gave him a succinct summary of Scotty's initial report. "I'm certain to get another update from Commander Bradford very soon, Commander. I don't know if you want to wait for that before you wake up the Admiral to brief him."

There was a brief silence as Commander Rhodes considered his decision. "No, Captain. I won't wait. I think the Admiral would prefer updates as they come in. I'll brief him now. When you get additional information from Commander Bradford let me know, and I'll pass it in to the Admiral. Rhodes out."

As soon as Jim finished with Commander Rhodes, his comm beeped again. It was Gavin.

"Jim, Sonaii already has some answers for us."

"Already?" Jim asked surprised. "That was fast! What did he find out, Gavin?"

"There's no one better than Sonaii, the man is a genius at what he does. He's discovered the blast was remotely detonated. And...the signal came from somewhere here on the base. Sonaii spotted the origin of the anomalous signal right away. There's a reason it was easy to spot, Jim. Sonaii says the signal was very old school, that the explosion was triggered by a simple comm signal—and, he says, that type of signal originated from a very old, discarded and obsolete communicator. He thinks it was probably completely rebuilt and modified for just that purpose. So we know the origin of the signal, but not its location. Because of the age of the communicator, it's untraceable. Sonaii says someone really knows their stuff, it was all simple and elegant. But we'll find them, the smarter they are the cockier they get, and that's always when these guys make a mistake."

"Tell Sonaii that was great work. What do you think? Should I get in my shuttle and come to you?"

Jim saw Bones shaking his head, **_No_**.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Jim. Seeing you here might spook whoever the hell this is. Seeing the famous Captain Kirk here asking questions? Wouldn't look good. First question they'd ask is why is he here? After all, it's not your ship that was damaged, so what reason would you have for coming? So no, don't come. We want this person to think he's getting the best of Security investigators, and we sure don't want to scare him off Planitia."

From the other bed, Leonard nodded his head in agreement.

"Bones is here with me, Gavin, and he's agreeing with you." Jim sighed, frustrated at being so far away from the action. "I've already talked to Commander Rhodes. He's briefing the Admiral right now. How about your boss? Have you told him the bad news?"

"Sonaii is updating him as we speak. Gotta go, Jim. I'll get back to you as soon as we know more. Bradford out."

Jim closed his comm, took a sip his now cold coffee, grimaced, and began to pace. He always did his best thinking while he paced. Watching him, Leonard could almost see the wheels turning in Jim's head. He sat quiet and still, his eyes following Jim's body, not asking any questions, giving Jim the time to sort through all the facts and sift through many different scenarios. Finally, Jim stopped pacing and sat on the bed facing Leonard.

"Since I can't go to Planitia, the first thing I thought of was sending Spock in my place, but he'd be just as conspicuous as I am...and again, Gavin's point remains. Why would he be there? It's not our ship that was damaged.

"Yeah, and what with being the only Vulcan serving on an Earth ship, he'd stick out like a sore thumb for sure," Leonard agreed. "Besides, Jim, what would you do there that you cain't do from here? Gavin, Sonaii, and Scotty are there, undercover so to speak, and completely inconspicuous. The perception of them on the base is that they're there just doing their jobs. They have a much better chance of finding out anything from the crew than you would. The first question any yard dog would ask is why is the Captain of the _Enterprise_ here, why is he askin' us pointed questions? Am I a suspect, am I gonna' be blamed for this? And after this sabotage attempt on Planitia, everyone who works there will be jittery, suspicious and hyper defensive about what's happened. They'll clam up, and won't tell you a damn thing."

"Yeah, you're right, Bones," Jim sighed. "They'll gossip and talk among themselves, but not to an outsider, especially if it's an outsider from Command asking questions. I need to comm Spock and fill him in. He's going to continue his questioning today. I need to let him know that Sonaii is going to work on the San Francisco and Planitia personnel background information. I'm sure Gavin's already gotten permission from Admiral Hahn and received the access codes to the personnel files so Sonaii can get started."

"You hadn't told me about that, Jim. What's Sonaii looking for?"

"I told him to cross check both Space ports' personnel files...to look for someone young, non-human, trained in warp and impulse engines maintenance and removal, who learned Standard as a second language, who's been tagged as an assertive/aggressive personality type in their psych evals, and who was assigned to the San Francisco Space Dock, then transferred to Planitia, or the other way around."

Leonard whistled. "That's gonna take a lot of time. It's a lot of personnel data for Sonaii to sift through and cross reference. The two space ports must have hundreds, maybe thousands of people workin' there, officers, yard dogs, medical and cafeteria staff, loading docks workers, custodial and maintenance crews..."

"I know it, Bones, but it's another way to try to find this guy. We have to try any avenue, try anything and everything. I'm also worried that now with a second explosion; word will somehow get back to the Klingons and Romulans. You know that the Romulans have paid spies all across the quadrant, probably the Orions and Klingons do too. The news will eventually reach them. At least they'll know this was a derelict ship that was destroyed and not a ship in the existing Fleet Armada."

"Yeah, I've been thinkin' about that..."

"And?"

"You're not gonna like it, Jim."

"What, Bones?"

"I think this was an announcement of some kind from the saboteur, an attention grabber. They're preparing us for his big statement."

Jim looked at him worriedly. "You think one of the Constitution ships will be the next target?"

Leonard nodded. "Yep, that's exactly what I think." He glanced at his chronometer. It was 4:30, getting on till dawn. "Come on, Jimmy. I'll cook us some breakfast, we've been up this early plenty of times on the ship and we can worry just as good while we eat as we can just sittin' here."

"That's true. I can worry anywhere; I've gotten good at it since I became Captain. Let's just be as quiet as we can. Don't want us to wake up Ma and Peter."


	14. Chapter 14

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 14 **

"**To conquer frustration, **

**one must remain intensely focused on the outcome, not the obstacles." **

**T.F. Hodge**

Leonard and Jim tiptoed into the kitchen. The house was dark and Jim closed the door between the kitchen and the living room before turning on the kitchen light. Leonard peered in the cooler and pulled out eggs, a couple of tomatoes, ham, milk, bread and butter.

"Does a ham omelet sound good to you, Jim? I got all the fixings here, and it'll be fast."

"Sounds great. I'll get the coffee started and butter the toast."

The omelet was indeed fast, and the two men enjoyed it in companionable silence, sipping at their strong coffee.

"Good omelet, Bones. Your cooking is improving," Jim smiled contently at his friend.

"Thanks, mon Capitan. I've watched your Ma make omelets and now I can make a good one myself." He shook his head. "She's a genius in the kitchen, Jim. You boys and your dad were lucky to get that kind of food every day."

"We sure were, and believe me we knew it. We'd visit our friends and get replicated food, and Sam and I would roll our eyes." He laughed. "I don't think we were ever caught, but it was very rude of us."

Leonard chuckled. "Did your mom ever find out?"

Jim snorted. "Are you kidding? Acting rude in someone's home? We would've been in so much trouble! And not just with Ma, but with Pop too."

"You're right; you would've been grounded for days!"

Jim glanced at the clock and sighed, the brief moment of levity over. "I have to comm Spock and brief him. By now I'm sure the San Fran CCE, Commander Gayda, and Admiral Hahn have been briefed about _The_ _Endeavor_. It may make Spock's interrogations more difficult...word will have gotten out by now about the explosion. Fleet gossip travels at warp speed. I think he was going to finish interrogating Alpha shift today, then continue immediately with Beta shift. He said Alpha had the most personnel."

Winona, still dressed in her robe, opened the kitchen door and peeked in. "I thought I heard voices," she said. "Why are you two up so early? Has something happened? Jim?" She asked, suddenly alarmed at their somber expressions.

"I'm afraid there's been another explosion, Ma. It was the last of the old NX ships, _The Endeavor. _Scotty said she was badly damaged, but at least no one was hurt_, _and she was scheduled to be gutted anyway, rebuilt from the ground up. I was just going to comm Spock to tell him the news. What are doing up at this hour, Ma? Even the chickens aren't up yet."

"I woke up and thought I'd get started with some baking and put together a couple of casseroles since Nyota is coming tomorrow. I'll freeze everything, and won't have to do much cooking for a few days, that way we'll have more time to spend on plans for the party. I'm taking a few days off from my Fleet consulting duties. Violet, Nyota, and I have things to do, and plans to implement," she smiled.

"Good idea," Leonard said. "I'll be happy to help you this morning, Win. It's the best way to learn some of your baking secrets. That is if Jim doesn't need me."

"You go ahead, Bones. Mind if I use your office, Ma? I'm going to comm Spock and I also have to get back to Gavin. I'll be on the comm for a while, and it's all classified. Maybe Scotty or Gavin will have more Intel by now."

"That's fine, Jim. It's 6:00, almost time for Peter to get up to feed the animals. The shuttle picks him up at 7:30."

"I'll be finished by the time he has to leave, Ma. I may have to go to San Francisco later, depends on what Spock finds out." He shook his head. "I feel like we're not really getting anywhere in this investigation, in finding this person. We haven't made a lot of progress so far."

"I know it seems that way," Leonard said, putting a light hand on the tight shoulders. He felt Jim's body relax slightly. "Stop worrying. We'll figure it out eventually. We always do, don't we?"

Jim smiled into the steadfast blue eyes. "You're right, Bones. We do."

Jim closed the door to his mother's office. He punched in the comm code and Spock answered immediately.

"Captain, I was just on my way to the space port. I stayed late last night interrogating Gamma shift personnel. I did not report, because I learned nothing from the Gamma shift staff. There were not many on shift, most of them are maintenance and custodial staff, so I was able to finish relatively quickly. Today I will conclude my interrogations of Alpha shift and continue with Beta shift personnel. I'm afraid I have found out nothing out of the ordinary, no one seems to stand out as a possible suspect."

"Spock. There's been another explosion," Jim told him bluntly. "It happened at 3:00 am on Planitia." He went on to tell Spock of Scotty's report about the damage from the explosion on _Endeavor_, Sonaii's findings, Bones' prediction that the explosion was only a prelude to something much bigger, and Jim's decision for both of them to stay away from Planitia for the time being.

"I agree it would be best not to attract undue attention to the investigation by our presence there. It seems that Doctor McCoy's assessments, his...profile on the saboteur have proven to be correct."

Jim did a mental double take. Had Spock just admitted that Bones was right? Jim played the comment back in his head. Yes, yes, he had. Spock had given Bones credit for his profile of the saboteur. That admittance was a big step for Spock. His Vulcan sensibilities seldom, if ever, allowed or admitted that others had arrived at answers that didn't correspond with his own assessments.

"I'm afraid so, Spock. And Bones thinks this is his big announcement. That means that one or more of the Constellation and Constitution ships are in immediate danger, and the only Constitution ship currently in space port is the _Enterprise_. Unfortunately the ship is dismantled and in two places, tethered in San Fran, but her engines and warp core are on Planitia. That means she's especially vulnerable right now."

"I agree, Sir. Since I am here, Captain, I will speak with Admiral Hahn about Dr. McCoy's analysis and suggest to her and Commander Gayda to place more security on and around the _Enterprise_. I looked up at the ship yesterday, and she looks quite vulnerable hanging on the tethers above the port. The Security drones were patrolling, but more security is definitely needed."

"Keep an eye on her while you're there, Spock. Also, even though Sonaii traced the detonating device to Planitia, we have no way of knowing if this person is working alone, or even if they're free to come and go between the space ports. Bones thinks it's one person, and I tend to agree, but we have to assume there may be more suspects involved."

"Agreed, Sir. I will endeavor to make certain more security is assigned to the ship. No one should be allowed close to her." There was a pause. "Captain, after I complete this assignment, I decided to avail myself of your invitation to stay with Chief Romaine. I think I will be of more assistance to you and to this mission if I am on hand...we must be prepared for all eventualities. The Chief may also prove to be of invaluable assistance to us."

Jim's lips quirked in amusement. Trust Spock to come up with a logical reason to come to Riverside and stay with Jonathon.

"Of course, Mr. Spock. I agree. Jonathon is investigating some leads right now. I'll let him know you've accepted his invitation. Just let me know when you're coming. My mother and Peter will be pleased to see you. Uhura arrives tomorrow and I believe Violet and Davy will arrive the following day. Joanna will arrive at the end of the week." He sighed. "It would be great if we could find and arrest the saboteur quickly. Then this will be over and not mar my mother's celebration."

"I understand, Captain. I will report after I complete my tasks here. Spock out."

Jim closed the comm and left the study. Peter had finished feeding Ginger, Dapple and the chickens and was eating his breakfast.

"Morning, Uncle Jim," he mumbled mouth full of scrambled eggs and buttered toast.

"Good morning. Peter George Kirk, do not talk with your mouth full, manners young man." Jim pulled at one small ear lobe in a gentle reprimand.

Peter swallowed. "Sorry. It's that the school shuttle won't wait," he explained. "Then Noni has to take me to school and it cuts into her morning work, and you know, Uncle Jim, that Noni does very important work." The big hazel eyes looking up at Jim were very serious.

"You don't have to rush, Peter," Winona said. "Take your time eating, sweetheart. And I've only had to take you to school once and we were both running late that day."

"Noni's right, Squirt, you have plenty of time. I'll walk to the shuttle with you. I promise it won't leave without you," Jim told him.

Peter nodded, finished his breakfast, grabbed his school bag and lunch, kissed Winona, said goodbye to Leonard and walked hurriedly out the door with Jim.

Leonard looked after the small figure affectionately. "He's very protective of you, Win."

"I know he is. He's very much like Jim and Sam in that way. Maybe it was because George was gone so much, that my boys were very protective. There really was no need. I'm an independent person, Len, and I've taken care of myself for a very long time. I've tried to talk to Peter about it, reassure him that he doesn't have to worry about me, but I haven't really gotten anywhere."

"And I don't think you will, Win. After what happened to his mother and father, it's a perfectly normal reaction on his part to be protective. That was a very frightening experience to go through, then when you were injured and were in the hospital, that also was very hard on him. So just leave it alone, Win. It won't hurt either of you and it makes Peter feel better. You know Jim's like that about you too."

"I know and so are Gavin, Jonathon, and Father Joe, even Violet is." She laughed ruefully. "I pretend I don't notice it, ignore it mostly, but really deep down I appreciate that they care about me so much. It's just that sometimes it's exasperating."

Jim came striding back in.

"Enjoyed the adulation of the school shuttle fan club?" Leonard grinned up at him.

Jim gave him a poke. "Stop that! I'm a novelty to the children, that's all it is."

Winona laughed. "Of course, darling. Seeing a handsome Starfleet Captain at the shuttle stop, is, as you say, nothing but a novelty. You keep on believing that."

Jim, pink cheeked, grabbed another cup of coffee and sat down. "Spock decided to come to Riverside, Bones. He's going to stay with Jonathon."

Leonard turned a surprised face to him. "Boy, I didn't expect that, Jim. Glad to hear it."

Winona turned from her dough. "It'll be good to see Spock again, Jim. Peter will be delighted. They're still playing chess over the comm, it's the slowest game in history I think, but neither of them seems to mind."

"It's good for both of them," Leonard said. He absolutely would not worry about the situation. Jim had been right. Spock had thought about it and made his decision.

"Nyota will arrive today, late afternoon. She's landing in Des Moines by public shuttle and is renting a hover there. I offered to pick her up, but she said we might need the extra shuttle the closer it gets to the party, for errands and last minute needs. She'll be in the bedroom with me in the trundle. Joanna will be in a cot with Peter like she was at Christmas, and Violet said she'd come and go with Davy, but if she decides to spend the nights here, she can sleep in the pull out sofa and Davy will sleep in the crib."

"You'll have a full house, Ma."

"Just the way I like it." Winona looked pleased.

Jim's comm beeped. "Excuse me, Ma, Bones. It's Scotty. Kirk here. Report Scotty."

"Aye, Sir." They heard him sigh wearily. "Fergus and me self have now gone over every inch of the ship, Captain. We were up all night. She's a right mess, she is. We found the origin of the explosion. T'was hidden in the Captain's chair. You will recall, Captain, the NX bridge was verrry small especially if you compare it to our own bridge. The explosives were old school, but effective. T'was Xetanitroglycerin. It would take just a wee bit of it, then add a detonator, hit the programmed comm button and boom!"

"The bridge is completely destroyed. Purr ole' girl. She deserved better for all her years of service to the Fleet." Scotty sounded angry, weary and disgusted. "I was able to find and recover part of the bomb, t'was lucky that anything was left of it, Captain. You can be sure I'll be going over it with a fine tooth comb...possibly to see if we can trace its origin and maker. I can tell you this, Captain, this bomb technology is a verrry old Earth method. Goes back to the 19th century. Crude but effective. To me it appears that it was researched and learned by someone who had this planned for a long time."

"You're right about that, Scotty. This started a long time ago. We've learned a few more things." Jim told him about the old threatening letters from the still open unsolved sabotage cases Jonathon had found. "Bones says he's sure they're from the same person. Ma did a linguistic comparison, and the computer agreed with Bones' analysis. This person's sabotage behavior goes back years! Sonaii is cross checking personnel files, tracing all possible staff with the knowledge base, means, and opportunity to do this. We all feel it's a member of Fleet. He's also looking at personnel who've transferred from San Fran to Planitia or vice versa."

"Aye, the lad told Fergus and me. 'Tis a lengthy process he said. Fergus has doubled security, both undercover and in uniform. Orders and credentials are being closely scrutinized before entering any ship. I'm keeping an eagle eye on our engines, Sir, you can be sure of that."

"I am sure of that, Scotty. No one better to watch over our engines. Is Gavin available?"

"Aye, Captain. Just a wee minute."

"I'm here, Jim. I was going to comm you in a few minutes. Sonaii has made some progress searching the personnel rosters. He's eliminated a lot of both star bases' personnel already. He decided that instead of approaching the search from the parameters you gave him, with your mother's information added to find anyone who met all those criteria, he's approaching the search from the other way around, backward so to speak. He eliminated everyone who is not young, who is human, who only speaks Standard, who hasn't had had training in both warp and impulse engines' maintenance and removal, whose psyche profile shows a mild docile personality, and someone who has never transferred to Planitia or San Fran. That negative search went a lot faster. He's eliminated 85 percent of all Planitia and San Francisco crew."

"That's fantastic! It's brilliant thinking on Sonaii's part!"

"He's the best, Jim. I think the rest of the search will go quickly. I'll keep you posted."

Jim went on to tell Gavin about Spock's interrogation and that he'd found nothing so far. He also told him about Admiral Hahn and Commander Gayda's upping patrols on and around the _Enterprise_.

"A wise precaution. Leonard's profile has been right on every count. This guy is escalating for sure. Your ship is vulnerable and so are the engines here. Scotty is going to be hyper vigilant about them. Hope that spooks the saboteur and he'll have second thoughts about trying something else."

"I hope so, Gavin. Tell Sonaii great work, and keep me posted on his progress."

"I will. Jim, how are things going? Violet said she'd be arriving tomorrow with Davy. She thinks she'll go back and forth to the apartment every day. She doesn't want to add more work for Winona."

Jim laughed. "We'll see about that, Gavin. I doubt if Ma will want to let Davy leave, and she loves to have Violet here. I bet she'll convince Violet to stay. When you talk to her tell her to pack a bag for herself and Davy. My money's on Ma."

He could hear Gavin's chuckle over the comm. "My money's on your mother too, Jim. She's a force of nature, and so sweet about it. I'll tell Violet. Bradford out."

Jim closed his mother's comm and pulled his own small one out. His next task was to let Jonathon know Spock would be his guest.

"Romaine here."

"Jonathon, Jim here. Just called to let you know Spock will avail himself of your hospitality and stay with you for a few days."

"No problem, Jim. I'll put fresh sheets on the guest bed, and get a key card for him. Don't know about food, though," he added dubiously. "I know Vulcans are vegetarian."

"Don't worry about food. I'll tell Spock to buy his own, and prepare it as he needs to. A lot easier all the way around for both of you. He'll eat here with us occasionally I'm sure. Thanks for doing this, I appreciate it."

"It's no problem, Jim. I'll be glad of the company. I hear from Peter that Spock is a great chess player. Maybe we can play a couple of games to pass the time. I'm pretty good myself."

"He is very good, Jonathon, and a little cut throat about it, so watch your back," Jim chuckled.

"I'll be glad of the challenge. I get tired of playing the computer," Jonathon chuckled too.

"Just don't expect a lot of conversation," Jim told him. "Vulcans aren't much for social chit chat."

"I know, Jim. I've met Spock. A clam has nothing on that man. Don't worry, we'll be fine. I'm good at drawing people out, part of being a Chief of Police you know."

"You are good at it and at Chess too, as I've learned to my sorrow."

Jonathon laughed. "Don't be bitter, Jim, talk to you later. Romaine out."


	15. Chapter 15

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 15 **

**"Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. **

**"Pooh!" he whispered.**

**"Yes, Piglet?"**

**"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. **

**"I just wanted to be sure of you." **

**A.A. Milne**

**"The House at Pooh Corner"**

Jim closed his comm. Spock was in for a small surprise with Jonathon, he thought bemusedly. It will be another kind of social encounter, with someone other than a member of the ship's crew. It would be good for him, and playing chess with Jonathon would ease the way for Spock...maybe put him more at ease with human interactions.

After lunch, the two men helped Winona with a last minute cleanup of the house. Jim vacuumed while Leonard dusted, and Winona got the big trundle out for Nyota, and put crisp fresh sheets on it. She placed one of her colorful quilts at the foot, fluffed the pillows, then tidied the adjoining bathroom to make room for Nyota's toiletries.

"Jim, " she asked coming in to the living room. "Are you going to tell Nyota about the sabotage attempts? I don't want to mention anything about what's happened if you're not. Since she's been in Africa, I doubt she's heard even a rumor about what's happened."

Jim turned off the vacuum cleaner. "Yes, I plan to, Ma, but later. Let's just enjoy Uhura's visit for today. Time enough to brief her tomorrow."

"It'll be good to see her," Leonard said. I've missed her."

Laden with luggage, travel totes, and gifts, Uhura arrived late afternoon as expected. Hearing her shuttle overhead, Jim and Leonard walked rapidly to the back pasture to help her with her luggage, bags and packages and after hugs and greetings walked with her into the living room. She was greeted with more hugs, kisses and excited giggles

"Nyota darlin', I've missed your sweet face," Leonard told her, his blue eyes looking at her contently. Nyota and Leonard were fast friends, and hung out together often, both fans of classic movies, good cooking, taking care of others, and music. While Spock was somewhat aloof, and there was always a certain distance maintained between Jim, as Captain, and his crew, no such distance existed between the rest of the Command crew. Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, Leonard, and Uhura, enjoyed a close and mutual camaraderie. Chapel and Geoff hung out with them too when shift time permitted. Recently with Spock monopolizing Jim's off duty time, Leonard had spent much more time with the command crew and especially with Nyota and Scotty.

Peter, now home from school, was looking big eyed at the packages Nyota had brought with her, but his Noni's emphasis on good manners prevented him from voicing his curiosity. Nyota didn't make him wait long.

"Presents for everyone," she exclaimed, looking around the room happily. Next to her parent's home, this place was her favorite place on Earth, and Winona her favorite person to visit.

"Nyota, you didn't have to bring gifts, spending your hard earned credits on us," Winona looked at her in reproach.

"I wanted to, Win. My mother and I had so much fun shopping and you've been such a wonderful friend and hostess! Now come on everyone open your gifts. Everything is from Africa, from artisans and craft people mom and I admired. Here, Peter you start." She handed him a gaily wrapped box tied with twine.

Peter's eyes lit up with excitement as he carefully untied the twine, unwrapping the box. Inside was a chess set, the figures laid carefully side by side. "Oh wow!" He drew them out gently one by one. They were beautifully carved; all the pieces detailed African wild animals representing the chess pieces. The Kings were maned rampant Lions, the Queens the lionesses, the knights were the zebras, the rooks, the water buffalos, the bishops, the giraffes, and the pawns were chimps. The set was beautifully carved from the wood of the African blackwood tree, one set stained white, the other black, whimsical and charming.

"Oh, Miss Nyota! It's beautiful," Peter turned to her and gave her a heartfelt hug. "Thank you, it's awesome! Look, Uncle Jim, Dr. Bones, Noni!"

"I'm looking, Peter. It's very beautiful, something you'll treasure your whole life, Squirt."

"Nyota," Winona told her. "It's an amazing, generous gift."

"I want to encourage Peter's interest in chess, an interest I hope he enjoys for a lifetime," Nyota smiled down at the awed child. "Winona, this one is for you." She handed her a colorful cloth gift bag. "I hope you like it."

Winona opened it to find a beautiful shawl.

"It's Batik, Win. It's a type of silk and cotton fabric thats dyed with natural tints. I know you love textiles so when my mother spotted these shawls I knew you'd like one."

"It's gorgeous, Nyota, and so soft. What beautiful colors." Winona stroked the fine textured cloth, loving the feel of the silk/cotton fibers.

"The seller explained that every color he used has meaning attached to it. I picked this particular one out for you because of the blue, green and gold symbolism. Blue is for peacefulness, harmony, and love. That's you, Win. The green is for planting, harvesting and growth, that's this farm, and the silver represents serenity, joy, which is what we all feel when we're with you."

"Thank you, sweetheart. It's gorgeous! I love it, and I'll cherish it always." Winona's eyes shone with delight.

Nyota reached into her carry all once more. "Len, this one is for you. Be gentle."

Leonard opened his gift carefully. It was plainly wrapped in several layers of thick brown paper and tied with string. Under all the paper was a very old book, carefully preserved and protected by a Mylar cover. The title printed in bold black letters, still brightly legible, was "The Identification of African Medicinal Plants for Use In a Clinical Setting."

"Nyota, darlin', this is amazin'! How on earth did you find this?" He asked running reverent gentle fingers over the still crisp real paper pages.

"I have my ways, ," Nyota teased. "Actually, when my mom and I were shopping in Nairobi, we came across an old book store with real books in it, Len. It was a wonderful shop, you and Jim would have gone crazy in there! I was just browsing through the shelves when I saw this book. I knew you'd love it! Mama agreed, so here it is. The owner said it was written by a missionary doctor in the mid nineteenth century. It had been in the family library for generations, that's why it's in such good condition. A young man came in with it and said he was leaving Africa to go off world, that he had to sell the family home and all the contents in the house, because he could take very little with him. His loss, your gain, Len." Nyota smiled, pleased at Leonard's awed reception of the gift.

Her carryall was almost empty. She handed Jim a heavy cardboard box. "Jim, last but not least, this one is for you."

Jim opened it carefully. Inside the gift box was a beautifully made hinged box. On the lid of the wooden box was a detailed carved majestic baobab tree, an icon of the African continent for millennia.

"It's made from sese wood, Jim, by a Ghanian carver. It takes weeks to carve one. The accents on it are textured aluminum. He said he insets them with metal to provide contrast to the darkness of the wood. I thought you could put your comm and badge in it at the end of your shifts."

Jim's hazel eyes glowed as he looked at his gift. "It's perfect, Ny. I will definitely put my comm and badge in it, and I'll display it proudly in my quarters. Thank you."

"Yes thank you, Ny. So generous and kind of you, darlin'." Leonard hugged his treasured book to his chest.

Nyota looked very pleased at everyone's reactions to her gifts. "You're very welcome, I'm happy you liked everything. Winona, I'm in your room right?"

"Yes, let's get you settled, Ny. Violet and Davy are coming tomorrow so we can get deep into party planning." She smiled, her hazel eyes shining. "Have to admit I'm getting excited, Jim."

Jim laughed. "It's about time, mother dear. I'm very happy to hear it."

Jim helped the two women carry the luggage to the bedroom. "Ma, Bones, Peter and I will fix supper this evening. We thought we'd have pizza and salad. Give you and Ny time to catch up. Does that sound good to you?"

"Sounds perfect, thank you, son." The two women beamed at him.

Peter went out to the barn to take care of the animals and feed the chickens. Jim and Leonard went in to the kitchen to figure out the pizza toppings. Leonard put some music on and they worked in contented silence listening to the soft classical music.

"Jim, when do you think Spock's goin' to be showin' up here?"

"I'm not sure. I asked him to let me know, so Jonathon can get his apartment key to him. And I don't want you worrying about Spock, Bones. He seems to be coming around." He smiled. "Joanna will be here this weekend, are you excited?"

"God, yes! Plan to enjoy every minute I get to spend with my little girl. A whole week, Jimmy. When has that ever happened before?" His blue eyes shone with happiness. "And it's all thanks to you and Win, havin' us both here. Don't know how I'll ever be able repay you."

"Bones!" Jim looked sternly at him. "How many times have you been there for me. Counseled me, treated me for injuries, gotten on my case for doing something stupid, saved my life even! And don't we all love Joanna as if she was part of our family? There's no question of repayment between us, not ever!"

"I know, Jim, but I'm just so grateful. Jocelyn wouldn've let her come see me just anyplace. She trusts you and Winona having Joanna here and trusts me with her when I'm here with you."

"More fool, Jocelyn." Jim detested Jocelyn. Detested her for keeping Joanna away from Bones, for disparaging him as a man and a father, and for causing his dearest friend an inordinate amount of grief and pain.

Peter came back inside, discouraging more conversation on the topic.

"It already smells good," Peter told them. "Pizza always smells good."

"It sure does," Nyota agreed coming in with Winona.

"All settled in, Ny?" Leonard asked.

"I am. And looking forward to that pizza and salad. I've been looking forward to Winona's cooking, but yours will do in a pinch," she told Jim and Leonard grinning.

"I'll have you know, I've been learning from Winona, darlin', so rest easy, our pizza will be real good."

And it was good. There wasn't a single piece of pizza left. After general clean up, putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Winona put cookies on a plate and made coffee for their dessert. They adjourned to the living room and Peter carrying his milk and a cookie went to his room to do his homework.

Jim waiting until he was sure Peter's door was closed, turned to Uhura. "A lot has happened while you've been gone, Nyota, and none of it good," Jim added.

"So I've gathered. I'm anxious to hear what it's all about."

Jim and Leonard in turn brought Uhura up to date on the sabotage attempts and the undercover work that Scotty, Gavin and Sonaii were doing on Planitia, and the interrogations Spock was conducting in San Francisco. They also told her that Admiral Corrigan had given Gavin and Sonaii blanket permission to access the personnel files from both Space Ports as well as the attached psyche evaluations. Sonaii had set up the search parameters and he was making rapid progress narrowing his search. Jonathon too, was helping with the search parameters.

When the two men finished, there was silence from Uhura who was staring at them wide eyed.

"Apparently I missed a lot while I was with my family," she said softly. "I have to admit I'm shocked. It's unbelievable that someone would try to destroy a Constitution ship! They're our first line of defense for Earth and the rest of the quadrant against our enemies. Why would someone do such a thing? It's unconscionable!"

"We all agree 'bout that, darlin'. But as I've shared with the team, we're dealing with an obsession here, probably as Jim said, an obsession that started a long time ago. One that has reached the point of no return for this person. It's escalated from an obsession to a compulsion now, one that's uncontrollable. Without psychological intervention, therapy, meds, probably even some time in an institution, there isn't any chance they'll stop what they're trying to do to the ships..." Leonard trailed off.

"Is there anything I can do to help, Jim?"

"Thank you, Uhura, but I don't think so. We've covered all our bases, and thanks to Ma's software, we're close to finding one or more suspects. Sonaii's search is crucial, and maybe Spock's too."

"Is Mr. Spock staying in San Francisco until the party?"

"Ah...no," Leonard answered.

"As soon as he finishes his interrogations, he'll come to Riverside," Jim added. "He's going to be staying with Jonathon, though. We'll have a full house here. Violet and Davy are coming tomorrow and Joanna will arrive on Friday. Jonathon offered to put up Spock in his guest room."

"And Mr. Spock agreed to that?" Nyota's eyes were wide with surprise.

Jim smiled grimly. "Not at first. He suggested that Bones stay with Jonathon, since Bones knows Jonathon better, and Spock would stay here at the farm."

"But Joanna will be here with all of us!" Exclaimed Nyota. "Len needs to be with her as much as possible and she with him. Len having to come and go from Jonathon's apartment would cut into his time with her." Nyota was well aware of Jocelyn's animosity, and how little time Leonard actually got to spend with his child.

"Exactly," Jim said. "I told Spock he could either stay with Jonathon, or in a hotel in Riverside...he chose Jonathon's apartment."

Leonard shifted restlessly in his chair. "I know it'll be uncomfortable for Spock, he's not used to staying in someone else's home." He sighed. "I offered to go to Jonathon's instead, but I'm glad I can stay here, it'll maximize my time with JoJo."

"I should hope so," Uhura commented emphatically. "It'll be good for Mr. Spock to interact socially with someone else, another human besides the Command crew," she added.

"Exactly my thoughts, Nyota. It's better all around for Bones to stay here."

"Absolutely!" She smiled affectionately at Leonard. "Mr. Spock can be a bit standoffish and aloof sometimes. I thought that when I first met him, but his behavior has mellowed around the Command crew. I think the Junior officers and crew are still a bit afraid of him, but I've noticed that the Science Department has warmed up to him. It's odd that with a human mother, he displays so few human behaviors and such little emotion."

"I think long ago, probably when he was a child, he made the choice to follow the Vulcan way completely, " Leonard said. "It's not really healthy for him to suppress human emotions to the extent that I see in Spock. When he slips a little he becomes even more rigid and emotionless. One of these days it's going to backfire on him."

"What do you mean, Bones?"

"Spock sees expressing emotion as a personal failure, Jim. I think one of these days, he's goin' to do somethin' extreme by trying to live up to his own impossible expectation of total non emotion, as well as the equally impossible injunction from his father and all those other Vulcan logic boards." **(1) **

"I certainly hope it won't come to that, Bones," Jim said, worriedly. "We'll have to do everything we can to help him accept that he is half human, and expressing at least some of his feelings is perfectly acceptable."

"Well, you've made a good start, Jim. The rest of us will follow your lead. Right Nyota?"

"Right." She smiled. "If all of us together can't do it, nobody can."

Jim's comm beeped. He looked down. "Speak of the devil, it's Spock," he said, flipping the comm open.

"Kirk here."

"Captain, I've finished my interrogations at the space port. I can come to Riverside in the morning to give you the report in person if that is acceptable. I can use the transporter at the Vulcan Embassy to travel to Riverside, or to the closest transporter station."

—-

**(1) Spock left the _Enterprise_ because of his desire to completely eradicate all emotion through Kohlinar at Gol: "Star Trek the Motion Picture."**


	16. Chapter 16

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 16**

"**The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, **

**but of respect and joy in each other's life. **

**Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof." **

**Richard Bach**

Jim raised his eyebrows at his obviously listening riveted audience. "That'll be fine, Spock. Why don't you beam in to the Riverside transporter station. I'll comm the coordinates to you. We only have the one. It's small but adequate. We'll meet you there. It's also close to Jonathon's office. You can check in with him and pick up the key card to his apartment. We'll take you there and get you settled in the guest room. The debrief can take place there."

"That will be acceptable, Captain. "Who will be accompanying you to pick me up?"

Jim looked at the group who were hanging on his every word. Peter, finished with his homework, had come back into the living room. He was listening with ill concealed excitement to Jim's conversation. He and Mr. Spock were good friends, and communicated by letter vid, regularly playing chess games of long duration, sometimes lasting for weeks. It would be great to see him again.

"All of us, Mr. Spock," Jim grinned. "You'll have a welcoming committee of Bones, Ma, Nyota, and me. Peter will be at school, but you can see him after classes are over. My rental shuttle is plenty big enough for all of us."

There was silence on the other end of the comm. "I see," Spock said slowly. "Then I assume my report will have to wait until we are alone, Captain?"

"Nope," Jim answered cheerfully. "You can debrief with all of us present. We're all Starfleet officers here...and everyone is aware of the nature of this mission, of our work, including Lt. Uhura who arrived today," Jim said carefully, mindful of the listening Peter. "See you tomorrow then, and Spock, text me as soon as you know your arrival time. Prepare to receive your coordinates. Kirk out."

No one said a word after Jim ended his conversation with Spock and sent him the Riverside Station transporter coordinates.

"It'll be good to see Mr. Spock again won't it, Peter?" said Winona into the silence.

Peter nodded. "It sure will. I hope Mr. Spock has time and we can play a couple of games of chess," he added, "He's still teaching me good chess moves and he might have some news about Queen Cleo, maybe the kittens are ready to be weaned." He cast a sideways glance at Dr. Bones.

The responsibility for finding a good home for one of Cleo's kittens was weighing heavily on him. His heart was set on Joanna getting a kitten, but he was concerned about parental permission. He was unsure if Dr. Bones thought Joanna was old enough to care for a kitten. Peter had written to Joanna as soon as T'Lane had told him that Mr. Sarek and Lady Amanda were looking for good homes for Cleo's three babies. At Christmas, when she'd visited the farm, Joanna had fallen in love with Sorrel and confided her secret to Peter. She had always wanted a kitty, and she wanted one like Sorrel. Peter, knowing this, and receiving the news about the three kittens, had tasked her with getting permission from her mother. When her mama said yes, Joanna had been allowed to comm Peter with the news. She could have a kitten... but, her mama told her, she also had to get permission from her daddy. He would have the final say about whether Joanna was old enough and responsible enough to take care of a kitten. The kittens were growing, getting old enough that soon Peter would have to tell T'Lane yes or no about Joanna getting one of the kittens.

"I won't have too much time for chess when Joanna gets here," Peter said. "I have lots of fun stuff planned for us to do," he said to Leonard.

"That's mighty nice of you, Peter," Leonard told him. "Joanna sure has been lookin' forward to visitin' here, but don't let her take up all of your time, you leave yourself time for hangin' out with your friends."

"I will," Peter told him cheerfully.

"Peter, it time for your bath and then bed. You may take advantage of your later bed time to read for half an hour." Winona smiled down at the little boy.

"Aw, Noni, do I really have to go to bed now?"

"Yes, you really do, school tomorrow, young man. If you don't want to read, you can set up your beautiful new chess set in your room. You'll just have to clear some space for it."

"I'd like to do that instead of reading," Peter decided. He hugged and thanked Nyota again, hugged Leonard, kissed his Noni and Uncle Jim, said good night and carefully carried his precious chess set to his room.

The adults settled in to catch up on Fleet and Riverside gossip.

"I hope Violet will decide to stay for a few days especially since Gavin is on assignment. It won't take a minute to set up Davy's crib." Winona said. "She told me she was taking a few days off to help me with the birthday party...and of course, we love to have Davy here. He enjoys being outside, and "helping" Peter feed the chickens. Maybe you can give him a ride on Dapple, Jim; you know how much he loves to do anything with you. Next to Gavin and Violet, I think you're his favorite person."

"Nonsense, Ma, you're his favorite person. It's Ma this and Ma that, every time we talk on the ship's comm. Of course," Jim laughed, "most of the time Davy's the only one who knows what he's saying, but the word Ma is clearly enunciated every time."

"Davy does seem to know who provides him with cookies," Winona's dimple peeked out.

"That baby always has been smart as a whip," Leonard agreed smiling.

"I wonder if he'll remember all of us. You, Len and me," Uhura asked a bit wistfully. "I remember he was enthralled with Mr. Spock's ears," she said, laughing at the memory of Davy's tiny baby fingers touching Spock's ear points. "Mr. Spock was a bit taken aback, as I recall."

"Are you kidding, Nyota? That child has a memory like a steel trap. I bet he'll remember all of you. Especially Spock's ears," Jim added chuckling.

The conversation then shifted back to the saboteur, the mission, and the real and present danger to the Constitution ships.

"It didn't sound like Spock had any luck with his interrogations," Leonard mused.

Jim sighed. "No it didn't, but we had to try. I feel a sense of urgency, like time's running out, that we need to find this person before they attempt to destroy another ship...and it's my ship that's in harm's way, dismantled, in two different space ports. _Enterprise_ is especially vulnerable without its engines, without us on hand to watch out for it. I've been thinking that I should go to Planitia, try to get more information. I've always been with my officers on every mission, and this time I'm not, and I don't like it at all, so I've decided I'm going," Jim said, a mutinous look coming over his face.

"Jim, no," Leonard said, a clear warning in his tone. "We've talked about this. You would only attract attention, the wrong kind of attention, alerting the saboteur. You settle down now, let your team do their work, stay here doin' what you're doin', directin' your team. Here is where you'll do the most good."

"Leonard's right, son. You know what your father always said." Winona looked sympathetically at him. She knew how Jim hated not to be with his crew, in the middle of the action. George had been the same, but he'd had years more of Command experience to draw from and his desire to be in the middle of the action had been tempered by that hard won experience.

"Never mess with a good plan once it's in action," Jim intoned dutifully. He had heard that often from his father, the man he admired and revered above all others. His father had said it about every plan already set in place, whether it was a family plan or one of his missions.

"I like that," Uhura said. She looked knowingly at her Captain. "I haven't been here to see and hear everything that's happened first hand, Jim, but from what you've told me, there's nothing you can do on Planitia or in San Fran that your team isn't already doing."

"Listen to Nyota, Jim, 'cause she's right. Don't start muddyin' the waters now. Trust your team, they're the best there is, and they're actin' accordion' to your plan, doin' exactly what you ordered them to do."

Jim looked at the three sympathetic faces and huffed a deep breath. "I know all of you are right," Jim admitted ruefully. "It's just frustrating to be on the sidelines."

"On the sidelines, puhleeeze," Leonard snorted. "You're in the middle of everythin' that's goin' on, Jim Kirk, and don't you try to tell us any different."

Nyota stifled a giggle, Winona didn't even try.

"Alright, Bones, you've made your point. I'll try to be patient." Jim muttered, cheeks flushed, hazel eyes cast down.

"Glad to hear it. Now I'm off to bed. Long day tomorrow what with Spock showings' up, his debrief, gettin' him settled in at Jonathon's and Hurricane Davy arrivin'."

"It is getting late," Winona said. "Come on, Nyota, let's get ready for bed, then talk birthday plans."

"Good night, Ma, Nyota. I'll be there in a minute, Bones. Just going to check the barn door, lock up, and put up the security shield. I'll try not to make noise."

"You won't bother me, Jim, I'm gonna' read for a little while. Night, everyone."

—

In the morning, Jim and Leonard fixed breakfast for everyone, and Peter, with strong and vocal protests, went off to school. They made swift work of cleaning up while Winona checked in with Violet. She and Davy would arrive before dinner, she told Winona. She had to pick Davy up from day care after work and pack a few things for him.

"Please plan to spend the night, Violet. You're arriving so late that we won't have much time to visit. Nyota is here and looking so forward to spending time with you and Davy, so are Leonard and Jim, and you know how much Peter loves Davy."

Violet's merry peal of laughter could be heard over the comm. "Alright, Winona, you've convinced me. Davy and I will spend the night."

"Maybe two or three nights?" Winona asked hopefully. "Pack for a few days just to be on the safe side, dear."

"Guess Sorrel is the only one not eager to have Davy and me at the farmhouse," Violet said, still laughing. "You win; I'll pack for a few days. It'll be a nice break for Davy and me while Gavin is gone."

Winona closed the comm and looked at Jim, Leonard, and Nyota with a triumphant smile on her face. "We're in for a fun few days. Can't wait to see that baby, and Violet too, of course."

"Of course," Leonard laughed.

Jim just grinned. His mother adored Davy, nothing made her happier than to have him in the house, unless it was having Jim himself here.

"Alright, people let's get ready to go. Spock's beam is in an hour."

"We'll be ready in a few minutes." She and Nyota rushed into the bedroom to finish getting ready.

The flight to Riverside didn't take long. Jim parked the shuttle in the public parking lot, then checked in with Jonathon to be sure he'd be there after Spock's beam in.

"Yes I'll be here, Jim, lots of paper work to wade through. By the way, I was going to comm you in a few minutes. I may have a lead to another unsolved explosion, which may also mean there's another letter. I should know by the time you get here. I got wind of this lead from one of my officers. When they have time, I've had them combing through back cases for unsolved bomb or sabotage cases. I told them to go back ten years; I figured that's far back enough."

"That should be long enough, Jonathon. Ma's computer algorithm reported the first letters were written by a young person, probably of school age."

"Hope to have something for you when you get here. Romaine out."

They walked to the public transporter station which was located on a quiet corner off the only Main Street in Riverside. There was a locked automated booth where you purchased your ticket and inputted your coordinates for beam out. If you didn't know your coordinates, you spoke to the computer and it would figure them out for you. You then inserted your credit chip and the locked door opened. You then stepped into the transparent booth, pressed the Energize button and you were transported to your desired destination. The transporter was, as was required by law, checked meticulously by the resident transporter technician every morning before anyone was allowed to use it. Transporter technicians were rigorously trained, had psyche evals every six months and, like physicians, Attorneys, Engineers, and other professionals, had to pass an extremely difficult certification exam. The transporter techs were very well paid, and competition for their services was fierce. Starfleet transporter techs who retired or had completed their service times, were guaranteed a job anywhere because of their training and experience. Because of the public transporter laws and stringent safeguards which were in place across the Alpha quadrant, transporter accidents were extremely rare.

Leonard eyed the transporter suspiciously. True it looked new, sparkling clean and perfectly maintained, but it was still a transporter and he hated it. On the ship he had no choice but to use it during away missions, but he only trusted Scotty and Lt. De Salle to get him safely to where Jim wanted him to go. When he had to beam in or out, Jim always made sure it was one of those two officers who was on transporter duty for Bones. Jim glancing at Leonard smiled to himself at the look on his face.

"Alert. Transporter in use, beam-in is in progress," said the monotone voice of the transporter computer.

The swirling lights and familiar chimes announced Spock's arrival. The locked door opened and Spock stepped out.

"Captain, it is gratifying to see you, Sir."

"Spock, great to see you too. Hope Sarek and Lady Amanda are well."

"They are both in optimum health, Captain and send greetings to you and Dr. Kirk." He turned to Winona. "It is pleasant to see you again, Dr. Kirk."

"It's good to see you too, Mr. Spock." Winona smiled her sweet smile at the stiff Vulcan.

"Lt. Uhura, I hope you enjoyed your visit to your family in Kenya."

"I did, Mr. Spock. It was wonderful to see them."

Spock finally turned to Leonard. "Dr. McCoy. I hope your visit here has been pleasant?" He paused. "I'm sure you are anxious to see Miss Joanna and eagerly await her arrival."

_What do you know_, Leonard thought. _Spock is doing his best to make social small talk_. Well never let it be said that Leonard McCoy, raised by his mama and grandmama to be a southern gentleman, would be less than reciprocal.

"My visit has been great, Spock. Thanks for askin'. Winona is a wonderful host. And yeah, I am excited, cain't wait to see my baby girl. Did you have a good visit with your mom and dad?"

"I did, Doctor. The upgrade was an unexpected opportunity to spend time with my parents. Less so with my father, he was quite busy, but my mother and I had ample time for conversation."

Jim, glancing at Bones saw the twinkle in the blue eyes. Bones knew exactly what Spock was doing. _So far so good and at least Spock is trying to be congenial, _Leonard's eyes telegraphed to Jim..

Jim gave Leonard a barely perceptible nod and cleared his throat. "Spock, grab your duffle. We'll walk to Jonathon's office. It's not far. He might have news for us about another open sabotage case that meets the parameters of Ma's algorithms. The more data we can get on the saboteur the more likely we are to identify them."

"I concur, Captain. Acquiring additional data is important. I'm afraid my own report will be brief and unfortunately lacking in quantitative data. The personnel in the San Francisco space port were singularly lacking in information."

"I was afraid of that Spock, but it had to be done. I'm just sorry it was a waste of your time."

"I beg to differ with you, Sir. It was not a waste of time. On the contrary, null data can prove to be valuable."

"Spock's right, Jim. Now we know the saboteur is most likely on Planitia, or else someone in San Fran would've reported somethin'. I'm sure Spock asked very detailed questions of all the yard dogs and other personnel and left no information stone unturned."

Spock looked faintly surprised at the implied compliment coming from Leonard. "The Doctor is correct, Captain. After my interrogations, I am quite sure that the saboteur is not at the San Francisco space port." He paused then added. "Thanks to Dr. McCoy's detailed profile, I was able to ask very pertinent and detailed questions of all personnel. The profile was of immeasurable help in arriving at the questions."

"Why thank you, Spock. Glad the profile helped."

"You're quite welcome Doctor. I most certainly want to give credit where credit is due."

Jim glanced at Winona and Nyota and rolled his eyes. Winona almost giggled. It was slightly hilarious to see the two men tripping all over themselves trying to outdo each other with pats on the back and compliments.

Nyota broke in before conversation between Leonard and Spock became even more hysterical. "Mr. Spock, I brought Peter a new hand carved chess set from Kenya. I think you'll be interested in seeing the craftsmanship of the set. Peter mentioned how much he wants to play a game with you. The chess pieces are beautifully hand carved, all the pieces depicting different African wild animals."

"I would indeed be pleased to play with Peter using, what I am sure, is a beautiful chess set."

"Okay, then." Jim clasped Spock lightly on the shoulder. "Let's get this show on the road and get to Jonathon's office."


	17. Chapter 17

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 17 **

"**The strength of the team is each individual member. **

**The strength of each member is the team." **

**Phil Jackson**

Their walk to Jonathon's office took all of five minutes. The Police Department building was an old red brick building, two stories high, solid and square. It was an old building, but well-built and carefully maintained and it had not changed one iota since Jim was a boy. Jim and the Riverside police officers were well acquainted, their acquaintance stemming from years back when Sam and Jim had gotten into trouble a couple of times as school boys. The Riverside police, had of course, reported their small transgressions to their parents; his mom and dad had not been amused.

They walked right into the foyer which was painted a warm cream color, not the stark white or the ubiquitous beige of most law enforcement establishments. The receptionist was a young woman in uniform. Jonathon insisted every member of the force, including himself, take a turn at meeting the public and answering calls. Only in that way could his officers get to know the community they were sworn to serve and protect.

This morning Serena James, Jonathon's second in Command, was at the desk. She looked up from her computer and her eyes lit up and she smiled. "I heard the Kirk family was going to call." She came out from behind the large desk/bar to give Jim a big hug, then Winona, Uhura, and Leonard in turn. She greeted Spock. "Commander," she said, giving the ta'al greeting.

Spock nodded.

"Heard you were in town for Winona's birthday bash, Jim. Nothing could have made Winona and Peter happier than to have you home for the festivities." She smiled at Winona who smiled back.

"It's great to see you again, Serena. You and Jonathon'll be getting your invitation to the party very soon," Jim said. He liked Serena. They had gone out a couple of times during his Christmas furlough, and they had thoroughly enjoyed their dates. But by mutual agreement they had kept their dates very casual knowing that they both had demanding careers, and that time and distance precluded any furthering of the relationship into something serious.

"The Chief is expecting you." She looked at the rest of them a bit dubiously. "Is he expecting all of you? Because his office is tiny and there's no way you'll all fit. Why don't you go into the conference room? It'll be much more comfortable and I'll tell the Chief you're here."

"Thanks, Serena." Jim briefly thought of asking Serena out, but decided it wasn't the right time. Too much going on with the saboteur mission. He might have to leave at a moment's notice, best to wait when things were more settled, which he hoped would be soon. He was feeling restless, unsettled, that sense of urgency stronger than ever. It was a feeling deep in his guts that he'd learned during his years as a Star Fleet Officer to never disregard.

Jonathon walked in, a gleam of excitement on his usually stoic face.

"You found something," Jim said.

"I sure did. There was another unsolved explosion, and another letter. I got a copy for us, and this case is the oldest by far, 8 years old."

"The perpetrator would have been very young, no matter what the species," Spock spoke for the first time.

"We'll add the new letter to Ma's software algorithm. See if it will add any more information."

"This could be immeasurably valuable, Jim. The younger the writer, the less they are able to hide their syntax, word choices, grammar, and spelling errors. Especially if Standard is their second language." Winona's face shone with excitement. "This letter might provide us with a real breakthrough, we may be able to pin point the saboteur's species, or ethnicity."

Jonathon handed Jim the chip with the letter and the open case file. "Give it back to me when you've finished with it. I won't need it."

"Thanks, Jonathon. This could be the break we need." He turned to Spock. "Jonathon, you remember my First, Mr. Spock. Thanks again for letting him use your guest room."

"My pleasure. Good to see you again, Mr. Spock. Happy to have a little company at home. Jim said you'd take care of your own food, which is good because I'm no cook."

"That's correct, Chief Romaine. My meals are simple, and I can prepare them myself."

"I understand you're a chess player, Mr. Spock? Hope we can play a couple of games. Chess is an addiction with me. Learned to play at school, I was about Peter's age, I guess. Have never stopped since. Jim and I have had a couple of cut throat games, haven't we, Jim?"

Jim laughed. "We sure have, and I've been beaten soundly. Jonathon is very good, Spock, a better player than I am. You'll have to work hard to beat him."

Spock's dark eyes gleamed with interest. "I'll look forward to a game, Chief Romaine."

"Jonathon please, Mr. Spock. I am Chief Romaine only at work."

Spock nodded, although he felt a bit puzzled. Was not the Chief of Police always the Chief of Police, just like the Captain was always the Captain? He assumed that was one of the ways the Chief of Police tried to put people at ease when they were in close proximity to him. Being around Law enforcement personnel sometimes made people uncomfortable. Spock decided not to say anything about the fact that Vulcans did not need to be put at ease. Their meditation routines assured that their minds and bodies were always calm and tranquil. Vulcans only felt agitation during extreme duress or pain, and even then, there were healers who could help mitigate that agitation so the body could heal itself. He returned his attention to the Captain who was making his farewells.

"Spock, we'll all go have lunch, then take you to the apartment to get settled in. I know Peter is anxious to see you, so why don't you and Jonathon have dinner with us this evening. Then you can go home with Jonathon after dinner. Are you free, Jonathon?"

"Are you kidding? For your mom's cooking I'll make myself free. Are those plans okay with you Mr. Spock? Or would you prefer to stay in?" Jonathon asked, mindful of Vulcan solitary ways and his duty as a host.

"I would not prefer to stay in, and the plans are agreeable," Spock replied. He turned to Winona. "It will be gratifying to see Peter, again, Dr. Kirk. We are presently in the middle of a chess game via comm. perhaps we will be able to finish it."

"He's very excited that you're visiting. Peter thinks the world of you."

"Peter is an exceedingly intelligent, well-mannered child. I find him to be an enjoyable companion. Your upbringing of Peter has been exemplary."

"Thank you. That's very kind of you to say so, Mr. Spock." Winona glanced at Jim, a bit taken aback at Spock's overt compliment. Vulcans were not known for giving fulsome praise.

Jim and Bones exchanged a surprised glance. Spock making small talk, giving compliments? _Time to move things along before it get awkward around here. _"Let's go get something to eat, I'm getting hungry," Jim announced. "See you later, Jonathon. Maybe by dinner time we'll have more information on that letter."

Jim consulted with Serena and she gave them recommendations for two restaurants that served lunch. They decided on the Riverside Diner because it was within walking distance, and also, because it had a good selection of vegetarian dishes that Spock could eat.

The Riverside Diner had been at its present location a long time and the owners, the second generation of Blackwell's, knew the Kirk family well. Jerry Blackwell and his twin brother Harry had played baseball with Jim. The boys had been classmates and grown up around Jim and they'd been at the farm often. The older Blackwell's had retired only last year and left the restaurant in the capable hands of their two sons. Growing up, the boys had always helped their parents, and now running the business was a natural progression of their responsibilities.

Jerry Blackwell greeted Jim with a clap on the back and a hearty handshake. "Heard you were in town, Jim. Great to see you. Harry stepped out to run some errands, but he should be back soon. He would be disappointed not to see you."

The twins had been recipients of Winona's cookies after every baseball game and Jerry gave Winona an affectionate smile.

"Good to see you too, Jerry. Got a table for five?" Jim looked around at the crowded diner.

"I will have in a minute." He motioned to a server to prepare a table in the corner. As they waited Jim introduced Bones, Nyota, and Spock explaining they were in town for Winona's birthday party.

"I hope your parents will be in town, Jerry," Winona told him. "I heard they were traveling off planet."

"Yep, they're in Risa for a few days. Mom always wanted to go, and dad finally gave in. They'll be home by the end of the week. They wouldn't miss it."

"Good, it wouldn't be a party without the Blackwell clan," Jim said, smiling.

Lunch was delicious; the menu had something for everyone. Before they left, Harry Blackwell came in and greeted Jim with delight. One thing about being back in Riverside, Jim knew most of the people around his and Sam's age and their parents too. He was stopped frequently by quite a few people to say hello on their way back to the hover. Riverside folks were very proud of their native son, the famous Captain James T. Kirk, and although Jim was embarrassed with all the attention, he took it with good grace acknowledging their kind words with aplomb and a smile.

Jonathon's apartment was on the outskirts of Riverside. It had been built in a quiet, secluded Cul De Sac completely surrounded by green space. The Chief told the Kirks that he needed that kind of peace and quiet after his hectic days at work. Jim, glancing around the peaceful area thought the location and quiet would suit Spock to a T. His XO preferred that kind of environment when he could get it. When you're surrounded by 430 crew members morning, noon, and night, peace, quiet and seclusion are hard to come by especially since Vulcans need quiet to meditate.

Spock keyed in the code to Jonathon's apartment and they went in. "Lights," Jim commanded. "Your room is over here, Spock," he said leading him from the living room, down a small hall to Jonathon's guest room. The bedroom was not large, but it had a double bed made up with one of Winona's colorful quilts which she had gifted Jonathon. There was a chest of drawers and a lamp table with a reading lamp on it. There was also a small closet for hanging clothes.

"The guest bathroom is directly across, Mr. Spock," Winona said. She, Peter, Violet and Davy had spent a night here in December.

"Your quilt looks lovely on the bed, Winona," Nyota said.

"It does look nice, doesn't it? I made it for Jonathon's birthday. It was a small thank you for his care of Peter and me. He checks on us often, and comes for breakfast every Saturday morning. He's such a good man, and he works so hard. I'm happy to give him a good home cooked meal at least once a week, she added, affectionately. "He and Sam were the closest of friends, weren't they, Jim?"

"They were," Jim agreed. "Same class in school. They grew up together, with me always trailing after them," he added ruefully. "Don't know how Jonathon didn't get sick of me following him and Sam around all the time and not tell me to get on home and leave him and Sam in peace."

"Sam wouldn't have stood for that, Jim," Winona said. "You were his little brother and he adored you. Jonathon realized that and just included and accepted you as part and parcel of his friendship with Sam. And now he's your own very good friend."

"That he is, Ma."

Spock was looking from one Kirk to the other, listening intently. Leonard, noticing, wondered if he was analyzing the development of Jim and Jonathon's friendship from little brother pest to equal footed friendship.

Spock unpacked and quickly put away his belongings, pajamas, underclothing and a tunic and slacks. He hung up his other uniform and left his toiletries on top of the dresser.

In the kitchen, Jim showed him where the replicator, cooler, and dishes were located.

"You think you'll be comfortable here, Spock?" Leonard asked.

"The accommodations are adequate. I think that yes, I will be comfortable here staying with Chief Romaine."

"Good. Your rental hover is waiting for you, Spock. That way you can come and go from Jonathon's to the farmhouse as you wish."

"Thank you, Captain. A sensible plan."

They left the apartment and waited while Spock picked up his hover. "We'll meet you at the house, Spock," Jim said, looking at his chronometer. "Peter will be home soon. He's really looking forward to seeing you."

"And I him, Captain."

Jim set the hover down, and Spock landed close by and they walked into the kitchen. "I think we can all use a cup of coffee...and some cookies," Winona announced. "Peter always has a snack when he comes home. The child is a bottomless pit and by 4 or 4:30 he's starving." She set the old fashioned coffee pot to brew. Jim had offered many times to buy her a new state of the art coffee maker, but Winona refused. In her opinion, brewing coffee the old fashioned way made a richer, heartier brew. She got out the cookies to put on a tray, and a glass for Peter's milk.

Winona fixed tea for Spock and they sat down at the table. They heard the school shuttle arrive and the back door slammed as Peter ran in, his eyes scanning the group until they settled on Spock.

"Hi, Mr. Spock." His hazel eyes shone with pleasure at seeing his friend.

"Peter, it is most pleasant to see you again. I trust you have been well?"

"Yes, Sir, very well." Peter grinned at him.

"Sit down, sweetheart," his grandmother smiled at him. "We're all having a snack. Would you like cookies with your milk? They're my peanut butter cookies."

"Noni, of course I do, they're my favorite!" Peter exclaimed.

Jim laughed. "All of Noni's cookies are your favorites, Peter Kirk!"

Peter grinned around his bite of the crunchy cookie. "Noni is a great baker," he told his uncle composedly.

His grandmother placed a light kiss on the sandy head. "Thank you, darling. A baker always appreciates praise for her offerings."

"How was school today, Squirt?"

"It was good; I got 100 on my math quiz."

"Excellent, young Peter. Mathematics is a necessary tool that one must master in order to pass the Star Fleet entrance examination."

"I know, Mr. Spock. Uncle Jim, Dr. Bones, and Noni have told me the subjects that are real important if I wanna get into the Academy like my dad, Uncle Jim, Noni, grandpop, and great grandpop did. I'm gonna work real hard in school."

"It's important to work hard, Peter, but it's also important to enjoy sports, chess, and your friends too. The Academy wants well rounded students, so remember to enjoy your school extracurricular activities too," Leonard told him.

"I'll remember, Dr. Bones." He turned to Spock. "Mr. Spock would you like to play a game of chess with the new set Miss Nyota brought me from Africa?" He smiled happily at Nyota, still thrilled by his gift.

"I would indeed," Spock answered.

"Oh good! I'll go get it and set it up." Peter ran out of the room still munching on a cookie.

"Dr. Kirk, I am gratified to see that Peter looks healthy and happy. My mother, father, and T'Lane send you greetings and asked particularly to inquire about Peter's well-being."

"Thank you, Mr. Spock, he is doing very well. Leonard, Jim and I are very happy with his physical and emotional progress. Len keeps a close eye on him, even from the ship, and it always reassures me when he tells me Peter is doing well."

The conversation came to a stop when Peter came back. "Come on, Mr. Spock, I'm ready!"

Spock rose from the table. "Excuse me, I am being summoned," he said, with a twinkle in his dark eyes.

Jim waved a hand. "Go on, Spock. The rest of us will help Ma clean up and join you shortly."

"After we're finished here I'll input the new letter, Jim. It shouldn't take long to add this new information and run the algorithm."

They went into the living room and Winona went to her study. Len, Uhura, and Jim talked over tasks for the birthday party, and Violet's impending visit. Peter, his small head cocked, listened with rapt attention to Spock's explanation of his chess move. Leonard, looking at the two, wished that Spock could be that relaxed and at ease with the adult humans on the ship. Ah well, perhaps with time that would happen for Spock. He hoped so.

Jim encrypted comm beeped. He glanced at the code. "It's Gavin," he told Bones and Uhura. "I'll take it in the study."

"Kirk here," he answered softly, walking to the kitchen, mindful of Peter on the other side of the living room.

"Jim!" Gavin's excited voice came in loud and clear. "Sonaii's got a hit! We think we've identified the saboteur!"


	18. Chapter 18

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 18 **

"**I wish I could say I felt guilty for what I did. **

**I don't." **

**Veronica Roth**

**"Divergent" **

"What? Gavin, that's fantastic news! Ma just added another letter to the computer algorithm to get more information on the perpetrator. We won't have to finish running it now that you've found out who it is. Who is it?"

"No, Jim, run it to completion, it can't hurt to get the additional confirmation, there mustn't be any doubt about who it is." Gavin's voice lowered. "Jim, I hate to tell you this, but it's Fergus McMillan's assistant. It's Ensign Zalaa Sh'tyhlath, the Andorian Engineer. There's no mistake, she was the only name in the personnel data base that met every criteria."

"What?" Jim was shocked. "Gavin, are you absolutely sure?"

"Yeah, Sonaii checked and double checked his information. We're just as shocked as you are. He's sure. We haven't told Fergus yet, I wanted to report this to you first. How do you want us to handle this?"

Jim thought about it for a minute. "Don't do anything yet, Gavin. Don't tell Fergus, I'll tell him. Go ahead and tell Scotty in private at your first opportunity. Tell him I'm coming to Planitia, that I'll arrive tomorrow morning. We'll have to concoct a story...why I'm coming," Jim added, thinking out loud. "Maybe that I want to consult with him about the new Bridge schematics the San Fran yard dogs want to put in because of the warp upgrade. How does that sound?"

"It sounds okay," Gavin answered a bit dubiously. "It's a simple enough explanation. Scotty's going to be completely shocked, shocked and angry. To think that a Fleet Engineer could do something like that to Star Fleet ships."

"Not to mention the personal betrayal to McMillan, Gavin. Zalaa is one of his right hand Engineers. He thinks highly of her, trusts her implicitly. Scotty also told me how she helped them on the _Equinox_, pretended to find the explosives. Scotty praised her work, how she crawled all through the gutted ship, found the origin of the explosives."

"Lies, all lies," Gavin said bitterly. "Poor Scotty and McMillan having their trust betrayed like that."

"Break it to Scotty gently, Gavin. Tell him the information is classified, he's not to share it yet, and that I'm coming to Planitia first thing in the morning. I'd come tonight, but that kind of urgency would look suspicious. We have to arrest Zalaa quietly, get her to tell us why she's doing this, find out if she's working alone, and then get her off Planitia as quickly as possible."

He heard Gavin take a deep breath. "I don't look forward to telling Mr. Scott," he said. "Treachery from a trusted person is just about the worst betrayal," he said.

"It is," Jim agreed. "Gavin, I've been thinking... I'm going to take Bones with me to Planitia. His profile was right on the money, and he'll be helpful in the interrogation process. I just have to figure out an excuse for him to be there with me when we land."

"I don't think you need to explain his coming with you, Jim. The least amount of explanations we give the better. It'll seem like he's just with you to keep you company. I think it's pretty well known everywhere that Dr. Leonard McCoy is your best friend and you guys spend a lot of time together."

"I think you're right, Gavin. Okay, talk to Scotty; tell him I'll be there by mid-morning. I'll send you the latest results of Ma's algorithm as soon as they're ready. I think the new report will confirm what Sonaii has discovered. As soon as I finish briefing Bones, I'll com Commander Rhodes and brief him so he can tell the C in C."

"Admiral Nogura will be relieved this is almost over."

"We'll all be. See you in the morning, Gavin. Kirk out."

He went into his mother's study and closed the door. He saw her computer was still working and she was looking intently at a hard copy in her hand. "Ma," Jim interrupted softly.

"It's finished, Jim," she said not turning her head. "I printed it for you."

"Ma," Jim said again.

Something in his voice made Winona turn to face him. "Has something happened, son?"

"Gavin commed. They know who it is, they found out who the saboteur is."

"Jim! That's great. Let me shut down the algorithm run."

"No, Ma. Let it run. Gavin said it's important to have as much corroboration as possible of the personality of the saboteur."

"Alright, son, I'll let it finish. Gavin has good instincts about these things. Who is it, Jim?"

"It was a shock, Ma, it's Zalaa, the Andorian Engineer, and one of Fergus McMillan's most trusted assistants, one of his right hand people. Fergus will be devastated when he finds out. So will Scotty. To think of a Fleet Engineer doing that to one of our ships goes against everything he believes in and holds dear."

"Have Gavin or Sonaii found out the motive for the sabotage"

"Not yet, we'll have to apprehend and interrogate her to discover the motive."

"I think it goes back to something that happened a long time ago. I'd have Sonaii look into that possibility before you interrogate her. Remember this last letter goes back to the time when she was very young. Something traumatic may have triggered this behavior. I believe the algorithm may help with that. Pin point the time all this started. Sonaii could do some digging into her past, find out more about her and her family; something that happened that could answer the question."

"She must have planned this for years, Ma. She got good enough grades to be accepted into Star Fleet, entered the Engineering program. Those courses are as difficult as the Command courses, some even more so, all that higher math and warp equations. She graduated, and got her first posting at San Fran, got a little experience, probably excelled in everything she did, then was transferred to Planitia. Once she was there she ingratiated herself with Fergus McMillan, impressed him with her hard work and knowledge base, and she was where she wanted to be."

"A long plan, indeed," Winona agreed, as the computer beeped. "It's finished, Jim."

"Let me call Bones in before you start, Ma. I told Gavin Bones was going with me in the morning, he'll be useful at the interrogation."

"What about Spock, Jim?"

"What about him? He can't come, it'd attract too much attention. What are the Captain and his XO doing on Planitia? Gavin was right about that. Bones isn't part of the Bridge chain of Command, so his keeping me company wouldn't attract much attention."

"Spock isn't going to like being left out, Jim."

Jim frowned. "This isn't about Spock's feelings and Vulcan sensibilities, Ma. It's what's best for this mission."

"You, Leonard, and I know that, son, but Spock won't see it that way."

"Well Uhura is here. Maybe she can keep him company. Anyway, he'll have to go to San Fran tomorrow."

Jim opened the study door and called out to Leonard to come in. "Ma's got the new report," is all he said, mindful of Peter in the room. "Want you to take a look at it for your profile."

"Sure, Jim. Be glad to put in my two cents." Leonard glanced at Spock, who seemed not to be paying attention, but the doctor knew his keen Vulcan hearing had heard every word.

Jim closed the door behind Bones. "Sit down, Bones. We've gotten a hit; we know who the saboteur is."

Leonard's blue eyes widened. "Who is it? He asked in a hushed voice.

"It's one of McMillan's right hand Engineers, one of his most trusted assistants, the Andorian, Zalaa."

"Oh no, Jim!" Leonard sighed. "This is bad, real bad. It's gonna' hit McMillan and Scotty hard," he added.

"I know, Bones. We're going to Planitia. You and I are going tomorrow to break the news to Fergus McMillan. I asked Gavin not to tell him yet. He wouldn't have been able to keep interacting with Zalaa, and we want to arrest her and take her completely by surprise. Scotty will be told," he looked at his chronometer, "probably already knows, but he'll keep it quiet until we get there."

"Is Spock not going with us?"

"No, if the three of us go, we'll attract too much attention, and I need you for the interrogation, Bones. Gavin is going to tell McMillan I'm going to consult with Scotty on something about the bridge, a new configuration. You're just going as a tag along with me."

"Spock won't be happy about that," Leonard murmured.

"Why is everyone so concerned about Spock's feelings, Ma said the same thing." Jim said irately. "This is not about Spock, and anyway I have another job for him to take care of. I'm sending him to San Fran to break the news to Commander Gayda and Admiral Hahn. This is all classified and I want to keep it that way."

"Let me get dinner on the table, son. It'll be one of the casseroles I prepared earlier. Hope everyone likes it."

"Ma, we like everything you cook, don't worry."

"Before I start dinner, let me go over the algorithm report with you and Leonard, Jim. I've bulleted some of the obvious similarities to the other letters. When I looked it over it was pretty obvious that it was written by the same person. However, and this is very important, son, the computer highlighted a phrase, and I quickly checked its origin. It's a literal translation from Andorian. I noted it for you here." Winona pointed to a sentence on his copy. "It's this one. It's taken from a famous Andorian ballad **_'Baron Hathiye'_** and the quote is the hero speaking..."he stood upon the ramparts, defying one and all."

"Certainly sounds like he was a hero to Zalaa," Leonard said, "to quote him like that in a threatening letter. Jim, whatever it was that triggered this obsessive behavior must have happened when Zalaa was a young teenager. Andorians age at about the same rate as humans, and we know the trigger happened before she joined the Academy in her late teens, because by then she had already decided to enter the Engineering cohort."

"It'd be helpful if we could find out what happened, Bones, but at this point we don't have time to do any extensive research on her, and Andorians are a notoriously private species. You better go pack an overnight kit. We may have to stay after the initial arrest for the interrogation. I'll have to get further orders from Admiral Nogura. He may want Zalaa interrogated here on Earth by Security or at SIS by Gavin. In my opinion, it would be better to get her off the Planitia base as soon as possible, better for crew morale and it would also stop the spread of gossip."

"I agree with you. Well, I better go pack," Leonard said.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you have questions on the report, son. Peter has to feed the animals and set the table, I better pull him away from the chess board."

"I'll brief, Spock. We'll be to help with dinner soon, Ma."

"Nyota will help me, don't rush, Jim."

Jim stuck his head out the study door. "Spock," he called. "I need to speak to you."

"Yes, Captain."

"Peter, it's time to feed the animals, and when you finish please help Noni in the kitchen by setting the table."

"Okay, Uncle Jim."

"Come in, Spock, sit down please." Jim pulled up another chair and sat facing the Vulcan. "I've had a comm from Gavin, Sonaii has found the saboteur."

Spock's eyes opened wide, an unusual show of surprise. "That is good news, Sir."

"Yes it is. Bones and I are going to Planitia in the morning."

"Should I not, as your First Officer, be the one to go, Captain?"

"Ordinarily yes, Mr. Spock. However not on this occasion. I have another assignment for you. Let me explain." Jim proceeded with his briefing, emphasizing the need for absolute secrecy in the hope that Zalaa would be taken completely by surprise on Planitia, that she could be arrested and interrogated as quietly and discreetly as possible.

"I concur with the efficacy of your plan, Captain, and I will endeavor to emphasize the need for complete secrecy with Commander Gayda and Admiral Hahn until Lt. Zalaa is apprehended."

"I also want you to brief Chief Romaine with the same proviso. He has been of tremendous help, and deserves to know the identity of the saboteur."

"Yes, Sir. I will brief him on my return to the apartment."

"Bones and I should be back by tomorrow evening, Spock. I want Bones to sit in during the interrogation, maybe he can help get to the truth about her behavior." Jim shook his head. "I don't know why it always seems so much worse when treachery comes from one of our own. How can someone betray their oaths like that?"

"Motivations are often obscure and deeply imbedded in one's psyche, Captain. It may not be possible to arrive at the deepest reasons for her treachery, especially if her reasons stem back to her formative years. Andorians are, by nature, an aggressive, irascible race. They see slights and insults when none are intended or are in fact even present, or so Sarek has told me. Finding any kind of logic for her treacherous behavior could be difficult."

"That may be so, Spock. But Andorians also place a high value on honor, on conducting themselves honorably much like the Klingons do. They want their actions to be perceived as honorable, their behavior congruent with their rigid code of honor by their own people and by others; I believe in her mind, Zalaa must see her actions as honorable. There is a reason she did this and I intend to find out what it is."

"Yes, Sir."

There was a knock on the study door.

"Come in."

"Dinner is ready, Jim, Mr. Spock."

"Great, I'm starving."

Nyota smiled. "Who isn't with Winona's cooking?"

Dinner was relaxed and unhurried, conversation general and pleasant. Afterward everyone helped with the kitchen cleanup.

Spock turned to Peter. "I propose we try to finish our game," he told the child. "I must return to San Francisco on an errand for your Uncle Jim, and I do not know what time I shall come back."

"Go on Peter, you have time before bed," his grandmother told him. "You and Mr. Spock enjoy that beautiful new chess set."

Jim, Leonard, Nyota and Winona stayed in the kitchen drinking their coffee and munching on Winona's cookies.

"Will you be here to tell Peter goodbye in the morning, Jim?"

Jim nodded. "I'll wake him up if he's still asleep before I leave. I don't want to get to Planitia too early because it might look suspicious. My conference with Scotty is supposed to look important but not urgent. I still have to brief Commander Rhodes and get new orders about transferring Zalaa once she's arrested. I better go do that now. It shouldn't take me long."

"Nyota and I plan to work on party plans all day tomorrow. Violet and Davy will arrive in time for supper." She grinned. "Can't wait you see that baby. I bet he's talking a lot more since I last saw him."

"I haven't seen him since Christmas," Nyota said. "I hope he remembers me."

"Are you kidding? That Davy has a memory like an elephant; he'll remember you, Ny." Jim took a final sip of his coffee and put a cookie in a napkin to take to the study. "At least this time Commander Rhodes will give Admiral Nogura some good news. I'll have to see what my orders are regarding Zalaa's adjudication whether here on Earth or on Planitia. She's Fleet so there'll be a JAG attorney appointed for her, unless Andor gets involved. Thankfully that part of it will be out of our hands. I just need to know if the Admiral wants the arrest to be handled as discreetly as possible." He shook his head. "One of our own, doing something like this to our ships. It's disheartening and terrible for crew morale. To me it's treason plain and simple."

"We all agree with you, Jim." Nyota said. "It is very disheartening." There was a somber silence for a minute.

"We'll wait for you to finish speaking with Commander Rhodes before I get Peter off to bed," Winona told him. "Or shall I send him in to the study to say goodnight, dear? Will you still be working?

"No, Ma. After I finish with Commander Rhodes, I'll come in to say goodnight to him. They'll probably be finished with the chess game by then. Spock will have to be on his way to Jonathon's apartment too. He'll want to get an early start and speak with Commander Gayda and Admiral Hahn as soon as possible. It'll be welcome news, and a relief that we've identified the saboteur."


	19. Chapter 19

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 19**

"**Sometimes when you push someone,**

**you find out who that person really is." **

**Keith Ablow,**

"**Murder Suicide"**

True to his word, Jim woke Peter up right before he and Leonard left for Planitia. He caressed the small head gently. "Peter, wake up. Come on, Squirt, wake up for a minute," he said sitting on the side of the bed.

Peter opened his sleepy eyes.

Jim smiled at him. "Hey, Squirt," he said softly. "Dr. Bones and I are going to Planitia to check on the ship's engines. We'll probably be back by supper time, okay? You mind the store today after you get home from school and be a help to Noni and Miss Nyota. They're going to work on party plans. Violet and Davy will be here by supper time."

"Okay, Uncle Jim, That's good," Peter mumbled, making a move to get up.

"No, don't get up yet. You have another 45 minutes to sleep before the alarm goes off. Enjoy it." He bent to kiss the sleepy Peter. "Go back to sleep," he said softly.

Peter nodded, closed his eyes and was immediately asleep again.

In the kitchen Winona was cooking eggs and bacon. Coffee was already on the table, along with toast, butter and jam.

"Ma, you didn't have to get up!"

"That's what I told her, Jim," Bones declared, his mouth full of toast.

"As if I'd let you and Len travel all the way to Planitia without breakfast!"

"As if! Thanks, Ma," Jim smiled at her. "I told Peter we were leaving, left him asleep again."

"The sleep of the young and the innocent," Leonard murmured a bit wistfully.

"I wanted to be up early anyway, Jim. I'm going to bake more cookies since Joanna is coming day after tomorrow. Chocolate chips of course, her favorite."

Leonard's eyes lit up. "Mine too," he said. "Thanks, Win. Mighty sweet of you to think of JoJo's favorite cookie."

"You know how I love that child, Len."

"We better get going, Bones. Bye, Ma," Jim brushed a hasty kiss on her short curls. "Come on, Bones," he urged impatiently as Leonard took one last sip of coffee.

"I'm coming, you impatient infant. Thanks for breakfast, Win. Delicious as always." He hurried after Jim.

The trip to Planitia was fast at warp 1, quiet and uneventful. Jim was preoccupied thinking of how best to break the news of Zalaa's treachery to Fergus, and how to arrest her with the least amount of fuss and attention. Leonard's thoughts were focused on the coming interrogation. Once Jim had told him he wanted him to sit in on the interrogation, he'd reviewed the SFM data base about Andorian physiognomy, psychology, and physiology. There was a lot of information, most of it Leonard already knew, but he'd reviewed it all. He knew Jim was depending on him and he didn't want to let him down.

"Bones, what are you thinking about so hard?"

"I'm goin' over all the Andorian stuff in my head again. Don't want to let you down durin' the interrogation, Jimmy."

"Not possible, Bones. I bet you know more about Andorians than any other doctor in Fleet. Anything in particular you think I should know?"

"Yes, well, there are a couple of things that are real important. Did you know the Andorian antennae are like another appendage? Like we use our hands and arms to gesture? They use their antennae like that."

"That is interesting, and very important to know during an interrogation. What are some things I should be aware of?"

"Well there are a few pertinent things you should know as you ask her questions. First of all, about their antennae. You can see they're set higher on their head than ears are on humans, and they're highly sensitive. Just like our own human ears, the Andorian antennae are made of muscle and cartilage, but they do a lot more than just hear. Unlike our ears, their antennae tips contain directional hearing, heat sensing, and telepathic sensors."

"For our interrogation purposes though, their importance is that they express emotion. That's what we need to look at, not her hand gestures or her face so much. The antennae show Andorian body language a lot more than their facial muscles. So as she's questioned, that's what we'll have to be aware of."

"Just so you know, Andorians express interest by curving their antennae toward the object of their attention. A lot of the antennae movement is completely involuntary, so you can read their emotions pretty well if you pay attention. They show fear or excitement by standing rigid and quivering, anger or rage by pressing them back against their skull, weariness or depression by drooping, confusion or agitation by wringing and lashing, sexual arousal by slow writhing, intoxication by wobbling unsteadily in different directions and Andorians "kiss by touching the tips of their antennae together."

"Well there's certainly not going to be any kissing going on," Jim snorted.

"You never know," Leonard grinned. "That famous Kirk charm and handsome face might bowl Zalaa over."

"Stop it, Bones." He gave Leonard a mischievous side glance. "What if she likes blue eyed men, huh? She might be bowled over by you?"

"Yeah, right. Not with you around, Jim Kirk!"

Jim ignored the comment, his attention going back to the view screen. "We're here, Bones. Planitia Space Central, this is Captain James T. Kirk requesting permission to land."

"Permission granted, welcome back, Captain Kirk."

"Thank you, Planitia." Jim brought the shuttle about, then hovered above the space port waiting patiently in his air lane until given the directive to land. The Planitia Space Port was a very busy place, mostly cargo ships and shuttles landed, but like the airline controllers of old, they were all under the command of the space port landing authorities.

After waiting a good half hour, Jim landed and he and Bones disembarked. They walked into the tiny lounge area. Commander McMillan and Zalaa were waiting for him.

"Captain, heard from you were coming, this is a surprise. I didn't expect you to come back until the engines were ready to be reinstalled." Commander McMillan commented, looked puzzled.

Jim smiled genially. "Good to see you again, Commander, Lt. Zalaa. This isn't an official visit, Commander. I just need to consult with Scotty about a new bridge configuration. I'm not at all sure it will add any efficiency to the ship, and bridge officers would have to receive training on the changes. Scotty and I usually put our heads together before I approve any changes on my ship. We know our ship best and we know exactly what she needs."

"Ah," McMillan nodded his understanding and there was approval on his face. The only ones more possessive about their ships than the Captains were their Chief Engineers.

"Scotty is on shift, but Zalaa here will let him know you're here. Go on lass, go get Mr. Scott now." He waved Zalaa away, then turned back to Jim. "Perhaps Scotty, you and Dr. McCoy would like to have lunch with me in my office while you discuss things."

"Sounds perfect. How are things, Chief?"

McMillan's face darkened. "Quiet for now, Captain. I have heightened our own security and more undercover security officers have been sent by Admiral Hahn. They stand out like sore thumbs though, big and burley they are. But 'tis a help nevertheless."

Scotty came striding toward them accompanied by Zalaa. "Captain, good to see you and McCoy." He gave Jim a brief nod, his brown eyes troubled. Earlier Gavin had told him about Zalaa and the reason for Jim's visit.

"Scotty, I came for a short consult with you. I invited Bones to keep me company to distract him, he's antsy. Joanna is coming tomorrow." Jim smiled at his CE.

"Aye, so I heard. She's a bonny wee lass, Len. Happy I am ye'll be spending time with her."

"Thanks, Scotty."

"Shall we go to my office? Might be a bit crowded with the IT guys there, but they'll take their lunch shift soon as we get there. Zalaa, you go on now, get back to work on supervising the cleaning up of _Endeavor_. Poorr lass, she's a right mess."

"We'll get her ship shape, Commander," Zalaa told him. "You'll see, she'll be ready for a complete refit before you know it." Her antennae, Jim saw were rigid and standing straight up, excitement or fear Jim remembered. Was Zalaa suspicious and therefore afraid? No, he decided, looking at her closely, not afraid, but excited. Excited about what, he thought worriedly. Was she planning another explosion? They'd better get this show on the road and arrest Zalaa before anything else happened.

McMillan led them to his office and ushered them in. Jim saw Gavin and Sonaii working at the comm station. "Captain," Sonaii greeted him. "Jim." Gavin stood and shook hands warmly to McMillan's obvious surprise.

"You know each other?" McMillan asked Jim.

"We do, know each other very well. Please sit down, Chief. I have something to tell you."

Alarm flicked over McMillan's face, but he complied. Scotty, Len, Gavin and Sonaii sat in silence.

"So, Captain, McCoy, what are you really doing here?"

"Commander, we've had a break in the case. Sonaii's identified the saboteur."

McMillan's eyes lit up. Scotty looked away, his eyes somber.

"Sonaii? Who's the hell's Sonaii, Captain?"

"Commander McMillan, let me introduce you. These two men are Commander Gavin Bradford, and Lt. Sonaii Connolly, computer expert extraordinaire. Both from Starfleet Intelligent Service."

"What?" McMillan looked shocked.

"I'm more sorry then I can say, Commander that we couldn't confide in you, but these two SIS officers were placed here as undercover agents to help find the identity of the saboteur. Their orders came directly from Admiral Nogura. Mine did too, as a matter of fact," Jim said. "Our mission was highly classified.

"Our orders, Scotty's too, were to find and arrest the saboteur with as little attention and fanfare as possible. The Admiral is worried about Romulan and Klingon perception of Fleet being vulnerable with our ship's being sabotaged. Lieutenant Connolly's assignment was to find someone who matched a detailed psychological profile set up by Dr. McCoy here. We also used a computer algorithm to help us identify the saboteur's species and language origin from their linguistic patterns." Jim continued. He filled McMillan and Scotty in on the steps his team had taken, the meticulous ground work that had been done. He explained how the mission to find the saboteur had been conducted, sharing with them Bones' profile, Winona's algorithm, Spock's interrogations in San Francisco, Jonathon's discovery of the old letters, Sonaii's search parameters, everything that had been done to discover the identity of the saboteur.

"I'm afraid there's no mistake, Commander. I'm very sorry." He said to McMillan's shocked face.

"The fact that you're here means it's one of mine, isn't that right?" McMillan whispered

"I'm afraid so," Leonard told him softly. "It's one of our own, a Fleet officer, Commander.

"Who is it?" Fergus asked.

"It's your assistant, Ensign Zalaa Sh'tyhlath, the Andorian Engineer.

"But that's impossible!" McMillan said, utter shock on his face. "I don't believe it!" He added angrily.

"Fergus, I know 'tis difficult to believe. The lass has been nothing but helpful. Didn't she work hours and hours, crawling all through the guts of _Endeavor_ trying to find the origin of the explosion? And T'was hard, difficult work as I told the Captain!"

"She already knew where the blast originated, Commander, she put the explosives there herself. I know it's hard to believe that one of our own, a Fleet Officer could do such a thing, betray their oaths like that, but she did. Think about it, she has unlimited access anywhere on the base, she comes and goes freely, can get on any ship here without suspicion. She's fit all our search parameter. She learned Standard as a second language, probably in school, her psyche profile shows an assertive/aggressive personality, she was assigned to the San Francisco Space Dock and then asked to transfer here to Planitia, and she's been highly trained in both warp and impulse engines maintenance and removal. She had a perfect setup here, and was above suspicion."

"But why?" Asked the stunned and bewildered McMillan. "Since she transferred here she's been an exemplary engineer. Always goes the extra mile. That's why I made her one of my assistants. Why would she do such a thing? I don't understand any of this." The Chief looked pale and bewildered.

"That's exactly what we don't know, Chief. Why did she do this? But we aim to find out."

Scotty looked at his Captain and shook his head. "Tis unbelievable that one of our own officers would do such a thing to ships of the line." He took a deep breath. "What's going tae happen next, Captain?"

"She'll be arrested and interrogated. I'm waiting for a comm from the. C in C's assistant about how the Admiral wants this handled. I know he'd like for the arrest to be as discreet as possible...morale could be severely damaged if this got out. Meanwhile we have to continue playing our roles until she's arrested." He looked sternly at McMillan. "I'm not sure how long I'll have to wait for Commander Rhodes call. It shouldn't be long, but if necessary will you be able to interact with Zalaa in your usual manner, Commander? If not it's best if you avoid her until she's arrested."

McMillan turned a doubtful face to Jim. "I'm not sure, Captain. I'm so angry and disappointed, I don't even want to look at her. But if necessary I will do my duty. I can always pretend I'm not feeling well, coming down with something."

Jim looked at him doubtfully. "All she knows now is that I'm here to consult with Scotty. I can't stay here too long, or it will look suspicious. Maybe you can invite Bones and I to lunch...a good way to prolong our visit for a couple of hours if need be. Although I feel Commander Rhodes will comm me as soon as he speaks with the C. in C." He sighed. "Admiral Nogura seems to have every minute of his day accounted for, and it's always urgent or high priority. Sometimes even Rhodes has to wait to speak with him."

McMillan nodded. "Aye, lunch is a good idea. Let me tell Lt. R'Null you two are staying for lunch as my guests. He's my second in command and he'll pass that information to Zalaa, as casual information, second hand so to speak."

"Aye, that should work," Scotty said to Jim. "R'Null often passes information to Zalaa that Fergus or meself gives to him."

Jim glanced at his comm, it was staying stubbornly silent. "Go ahead and tell R'Null, Commander."

McMillan contacted his second in command. "Lt. R'Null, McMillan here. I'll be in the mess, the Captain and Dr. McCoy will be joining me for lunch."

"Very good, Sir. Enjoy your lunch. R'Null out."

McMillan stood. "That's that. We best make ourselves visible. What about these two?" He pointed to Sonaii and Gavin.

"They stay here; ostensibly they're still upgrading your system. They'll stay in place until the arrest." Jim communicator chirped. "Commander Rhodes," he announced to the group. "Kirk here, Commander."

"Captain, I have been in touch with Admiral Nogura. He asked me to convey your new orders. He's going to leave in a few minutes for a high level meeting on Vulcan."

"What are my orders, Commander?"

"Commander Bradford and a security detail are to arrest the Andorian engineer as quietly and unobtrusively as possible. She is to be brought back to Earth by Commander Bradford and Lt. Sonaii Connolly and taken to an SIS holding cell. Orders have already been sent to SIS headquarters. She will be interrogated there by experienced SIS interrogators. Should she desire an attorney, she will be appointed one from JAG headquarters. She is to speak with no one except her JAG attorney and her interrogators. All the evidence you have gathered against the Andorian will be collected by Lt. Connolly, organized, and hand carried to SIS headquarters along with the prisoner."

"Also, Captain, the C in C asked me to tell you that you and Dr. McCoy may be present and listen in to the interrogation, but you will stay out of sight. Input from you and Dr. McCoy will be allowed during interrogation through ear pieces. The C in C stressed the fact that your identity as the Constitution Ship's Captain who was in charge of this investigation must be kept secret. Your position as Captain of the Flagship must not be compromised in any way, and here, Captain, I quote the Admiral. "We don't want another nut case getting it into their heads that our Flagship Captain would make an excellent revenge target. Are your orders clear, Captain Kirk?"

"As bells, Commander." Jim responded, frowning. So he was being sidelined by the C in C himself. For some reason, Nogura must feel that the Constitution ships and their Captains were vulnerable. Jim knew that even if he asked why he was being sidelined, he wouldn't be told. The Admiral was privy to Intel way above Jim's pay grade.

"Very well, Captain. I have just sent the Admiral's orders to Commander Bradford. And one more thing, Captain, Admiral Nogura asked me to say, "Well done to you and your team" on the successful outcome of this mission."

"Please convey my thanks to the Admiral, Commander. We are staying for lunch as Commander's McMillan's guests to allay any suspicion about our visit here."

"A good idea, Captain. Rhodes out."


	20. Chapter 20

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake?**

**Chapter 20 **

"**The arc of the moral universe is long,**

**but it bends towards justice." **

**Theodore Parker**

Jim finished his conversation with Commander Rhodes. "You heard?"

Leonard looked at him, sympathy in his blue eyes. "Guess our part is over, Jim. But at least we'll be able to listen in to Zalaa's interrogation," he added consolingly.

"There is that at least," Jim agreed, looking chagrined.

McMillan shook his head. "How are ye going to do this? Arrest the lass?"

"Commander Bradford and Lt. Connolly will do it. You'll have to call her in to your office later, Commander. She'll be arrested here, then taken to Earth in the Fleet IT shuttle. It will be done as discreetly as possible. Bones and I will be leaving directly after lunch. My "consultation" with Scotty is finished and those are my orders. Scotty, I don't want you here during the arrest either. The C in C doesn't want the _Enterprise_ crew involved in any way."

"Aye, Captain. I'll go back to work after lunch and leave in me own shuttle after Fergus calls Zalaa in to his office." He looked sad and dispirited. Ships engineers were supposed to love the ships they served or serviced. He'd never before seen or heard of one who didn't.

"We'll do it this afternoon, Jim. Well after you, Scotty, Leonard are gone."

Leonard looked at the disappointed Jim and sighed. It couldn't be helped... as Jim said, orders were orders. "Jim, maybe Scotty and Commander McMillan should walk us to our shuttle after lunch."

"That's a good idea, Jim. It'll look much more normal and casual," Gavin agreed. "I'll comm you as soon as we arrest Zalaa and we're heading back to Earth. I'll also let you know what time we'll begin the interrogation."

"Yeah, okay. I hate to leave you and Sonaii to handle all this on your own." Jim said frowning. "I don't like it, Gavin, not at all."

"We've handled a lot worse, Jim. Don't you worry about us. Now you better get to the mess for lunch."

"We're going," Jim huffed. Truth was he was angry that he and Bones wouldn't be here when justice was served. But orders were orders, and it couldn't be helped.

They followed Scotty and McMillan out of the office. Aware of curious eyes following their every move, Jim put on a big smile, tucked his padd under his arm, and clasped Scotty on the shoulder. "Thanks for your help, Mr. Scott," he said loudly. "You and I completely agree on the efficiency of the new configuration of the bridge. Believe me the San Fran yard dogs are going to get an ear full."

"Glad to be of help, Captain. Best I get back to work, though. If you need me again, I'll be here. So long, McCoy, see you in a few weeks."

"Join us for lunch in the mess, Scotty," Jim ordered loudly, then soto voice. "Looks better."

"Aye, Sir, glad to."

There was a small curious group gathered close to the mess, hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous and renowned Captain Kirk. Jim spotted Zalaa toward the back of the crowd. He caught her eye and he gave her a friendly nod. "Don't look, Bones. Zalaa is behind that group toward your right," he whispered just barely moving his lips, close to Bones' ear.

"Yeah, I see her. She don't want us here, is my guess. Our presence constrains her ability to do as she pleases. Well she sure won't get another chance to do more harm. It'll be interestin' to find out why she's been doin' all this," Leonard continued. He was careful to turn his face away from the watching Andorian as he spoke.

Jim gave everyone a friendly smile and they walked in to the mess hall which was already filling up with the Alpha shift crew scheduled for lunch. They chose their food items, and McMillan grabbed a table for four. Conversation was genial, with smiles and nods, keeping up a relaxed appearance. After lunch they walked out together to the shuttle hanger.

Jim keeping up the facade, turned to McMillan, gave him and Scotty a hearty handshake, smiled widely, and walked up the shuttle ramp. Leonard gave Scotty a one armed hug, then shook McMillan's hand. Jim sat in the pilot seat and looked out the wide window. Scotty and McMillan were walking away, but he noticed Zalaa still partially hidden behind a post watching the shuttle.

"She's still watching, Bones. Wants to make sure we've gone. Gavin and Sonaii will wait until we're well away before McMillan calls her to his office."

"Let's git on home, Jim, I've had more than enough of this mission. The whole thing is depressin' as hell. What possessed that young woman to do what she did is a conundrum. Guess we'll have to wait to find out. What I need is to see Peter's sweet face, your mama and Nyota's pretty ones, and one of your mama's delicious home cooked meals." He sighed dispiritedly.

Jim glanced at Bones face. He looked and sounded unaccountably depressed, which was not like the doctor at all. On the ship, he grumbled and groused at the crew, including Jim, mostly about not taking care of themselves, but he was invariably positive and encouraging to those who had personal problems, were homesick, or needed a listening ear, and he was always gentle, upbeat, and compassionate to his patients.

"Are you alright, Bones?" Jim asked him. "What is it that's troubling you? For all intents and purposes this mission is over for us, and it's been successful."

"Guess I've been thinkin' about things, Jimmy. Zalaa has been part of Fleet for a long time. Four years at the Academy, where, from what I heard, she did real well, then she's been working as an Engineer for Fleet for at least a couple of years. First at the San Fran space port then on Planitia. How did we all drop the ball so badly with her? How did she pass all her psych evals, and her an Andorian, you know how hard it is for Andorians to hide their innate psychological makeup. And she went into Engineering, that's so rare for an Andorian cadet as to raise a red flag. How come nobody noticed anything untoward about her? Somethin' very wrong about that."

Jim was silent for a moment, thinking about what Bones said. "You're right, Bones. I hadn't thought of it like that, but you're absolutely right, the ball was dropped, several times in fact. When we have our debrief with Admiral Nogura, that's definitely something that needs to be addressed."

"You think I'm gonna' be included in the debrief?" Leonard looked at Jim dubiously.

"I'll make sure you are, your contributions were of enormous help, and I believe your words and insight about how Andorians are screened and evaluated for Engineering assignments will carry a great deal of weight."

They were entering Earth's atmosphere and there was no more talking until Jim was cleared for Earth reentry and landing at the Academy tarmac.

"This is Captain Kirk. Requesting permission to land, Space Central."

"Permission granted, Captain. No traffic in your lane, sir."

Once back on land, Jim immediately commed Commander Rhodes to give him the mission update. "I'm waiting to hear from Commander Bradford, Commander. Once she's arrested, he will take Zalaa straight to SIS headquarters for interrogation. As per your orders from the C in C, they're handling the arrest and interrogation themselves. We left Planitia way before the arrest was to happen. Dr. McCoy and I will sit in at the interrogation, but out of sight, and only to listen and give input."

"I'll update Admiral Nogura, Captain. I'm sure he'll want to speak with you when he can." Jim could hear the Commander sigh. "He has back to back meetings with Admiral Hahn, Admiral Corrigan, Admiral Northcutt, Admirals Barnett, Cartwright, Jameson, Morrow, Shanthi, and T'Lara. We're circling our wagons, Captain, just in case the Klingons, Romulan, Cardassians, or Orion's have gotten wind of the sabotage attempts on the Constitution ships and decide we're vulnerable right now. The Klingons are still quiet, though, so at least that's positive. I know Admiral Nogura would want me to say, a job well done to you and your team, Captain."

"Thank you, Commander. I'll pass that along to my team. I'll update you as soon as I hear from Commander Bradford. Kirk out."

"Hmm, do you really think there's any danger from the Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, or Orion's?"

Jim opened the shuttle door. It was a beautiful cool day in San Francisco. "It's hard to say, Bones. They're always looking for an edge, for Fleet and the Federation to show vulnerabilities." He looked at the time. "Let's go get some coffee and dessert. It'll probably be a while before we hear from Gavin. I need to comm Spock and Jonathon and update them after I hear from Gavin."

They walked to the officer's mess which was full. They sat in an out of the way table and a waiter came over to take their orders from a daily menu. As Bones said, rank hath its privileges. Their food and dessert choices were plentiful. Jim said genial hellos to several officers but didn't chat. He wanted to eat as quickly as possible in case Gavin commed. The waiter came quickly with their food.

"Good to see you again, Captain Kirk, it's been a while since you were here."

"Thank you, Garcia. Yes it's been a while. Just here for today. Spending time with family this leave."

Their dessert was brought promptly, apple pie for Jim and peach cobbler for Leonard with Jim constantly looking at his comm.

"Jim, relax. It hasn't been that long. I'm sure Gavin and Sonaii want to do this as unobtrusively as possible."

Jim sighed, put away his comm and pushed his empty plate aside. Bones was also finished. "Let's get out of here, Bones. I'll comm Ma and tell her we'll be home this evening." He glanced at Leonard. "Are you excited about seeing Joanna tomorrow? What time do we meet her shuttle?"

"Sure am! It's the nonstop flight from Atlanta, gets in at 4:00 pm. Quick flight from there to Des Moines; she'll be with a shuttle escort. Guess Jocelyn is more relaxed about JoJo traveling alone now."

"Well it is a very short flight. I think Peter should go with us, don't you? Both kids would like that."

Leonard grinned. "They sure would."

"Let me comm Ma, Bones, just to let her know we're back in San Fran, not to wait dinner for us."

He did so, and closed his comm smiling. "Ma will keep our dinner warm," she said. "For us and for Violet and Davy. They're coming this evening."

"Of course she will. Your Ma is one in a million, Jim." He shook his head in obvious admiration.

"She sure is. It's meatloaf," he grinned, "mashed potatoes, sautéed green beans. She said Davy loves meatloaf. Guess we know who rates in Ma's kitchen."

Leonard closed his eyes in bliss. "Oh Lordy, we better get back in time to eat that bounty."

Jim's communicator beeped. "It's Gavin. Kirk here."

"Jim we're in our way to SIS. The arrest went without a hitch. McMillan called her in to his office, and as soon as she came in the door, we arrested her. She's sitting in back of the shuttle, well restrained. We know how strong Andorians are. I sealed her quarters; she bunked alone, since she's an officer. It's a small room, but I want forensics to go through it with a fine tooth comb. We're about to land, Jim. We'll put Zalaa in an interrogation room, so come on in to the office. She won't be able to see or hear you."

"How did she react when you arrested her?" Jim heard Gavin over the comm. "Ensign Zalaa," he said loudly. "Stop hitting your head against the bulkhead or I will sedate you." He lowered his voice. "She's angry, Jim. It was a complete surprise to her when I arrested her. She didn't even fight she was so shocked."

"Jim ask him the position of her antennae? That's important."

"Gavin, did you hear that?"

"Yeah, hold on." There was a moment of silence on the comm. "Sonaii went back to look. He says her antennae are standing straight up, Jim, and they're vibrating, small, tiny, shakes back and forth on her head."

"She's frightened, Gavin." Leonard leaned in to Jim's comm. "She's angry yes, but she's frightened, and that's unusual in an Andorian. They're pretty fearless, tough as nails, it's a matter of honor and pride for them never to show fear. If she's scared, she's vulnerable. Work on that in your interrogation, Gavin. Remember, she's been doin' this for a long time, and she thought she wasn't ever gonna be caught. Now that she's been arrested she doesn't know what to do. Her obsession has been broken, destroyed, smashed to smithereens. It's been her entire reason for liven' for most of her life, the lynch pin of her entire existence. Now that's gone. I don't think you're gonna have any trouble gettin' answers from her."

"Thanks, Leonard. That helps a lot. Okay see you at the office. We're entering earth's orbit. Bradford out."

Jim looked at Bones in admiration. "That was amazing, Bones. Remind me to have you on hand next time we have to interrogate someone on the ship."

"Just doin' my job, Jim. I hope what I said to Gavin will prove useful."

"We're here, Bones. Look down, there's Gavin's shuttle. Let me get down lower, to check if they're inside the building already."

Jim flew in a loop then turned to face Gavin's shuttle. "Pilot and copilots seats are empty, Jim," Leonard reported. "I think we can land now."

Jim did, quickly and efficiently, then he and Bones walked to the main entrance. There were always two armed security personnel stationed in front of the large double doors. Both men saluted. "Commander Bradford informed us that you and Dr. McCoy were coming, Captain. He said to tell you that the prisoner is in interrogation room 3, Sir. You and the doctor are to go into the anteroom. As you enter, take a left to the lift, go to the second floor. As you step out of the lift, Room 3 is the third room to your right. Lt. Sonaii is there waiting for you."

They followed directions making their way to the interrogation anteroom. Sonaii was already there, two chairs pulled out for them.

"Gavin hasn't started, Captain." He handed them each an earbud. "He'll be able to hear you through these, and you'll be able to see and hear the interrogation. The room has a one way glass. From the inside of the room it looks like the wall. The prisoner has no idea the window is even there. Oh by the way, Admiral Corrigan will be stopping by."

Gavin came into the interrogation room. "Ensign Zalaa Sh'tyhlath, before we begin this interrogation, I want to inform you that as a Starfleet officer you are entitled to legal representation by a Fleet JAG attorney if you so choose. Do you require an attorney?"

Zalaa looked disdainfully at Gavin. "I require no attorney. My actions were a matter of honor, Andorian family honor."

Jim looked at Bones. _I knew it, _he telegraphed silently.

Leonard nodded. He too, expected it would be something like that.

"Then affix you thumb print to this waiver and sign it." Gavin thrust a padd at Zalaa and she did so. Gavin then brought out an official interrogation padd. "This will become the record of your official interrogation. This room is also being monitored by a camera and another recording devise. This is for protection of your rights as a Fleet officer.

Zalaa waved a negligible hand at him. "Proceed, Commander."

Gavin spoke the official time and date into the padd and the interrogation began. Jim felt rather than saw Admiral Corrigan take a seat by him. He glanced over and the Admiral nodded.

And so Gavin began asking questions. He started with questions about her past education before she entered the Academy, about her work experience, then he moved on to the sabotage incidents they'd documented when she was very young. Zalaa answered every question readily, taking complete responsibility for each incident and acknowledging each letter she'd written. Gavin asked if she had anyone else help her set the explosives.

"Of course not," she said looking insulted. "I have no need of assistance. I am an expert at many kinds of explosive devices."

Slowly, carefully Gavin led her through each sabotage event; she took responsibility for each one.

"Jim look at her antennas," Bones said. "She's very angry. The antennae are pressed back tight against her skull, that indicates extreme rage. Sonaii let Gavin know that, it's real important," Leonard urged him.

Sonaii spoke softly into Gavin's ear piece. There was an almost imperceptible nod from Gavin.

"Why are you so angry at Starfleet, Ensign Zalaa? Fleet has provided you with an excellent education, an enviable career, and livelihood. Yet you committed treason by destroying several Fleet ships. Why? Why would you betray your oaths like you did?"

Her antennae began lashing back and forth. "She's upset now," Bones said. "Gavin is at the crux of her actions. She'll have to explain herself."

Gavin sat back in his chair, relaxed and attentive. His body language indicating he was ready to hear what Zalaa had to say about her actions.

She glanced at his face, saw the open neutrality in his expression and her antennae drooped.

"She's tired, Sonaii, tell Gavin. She's ready to talk, to explain herself."

Again Gavin gave a faint nod. "Tell me about it, Zalaa. I'd like to hear your story."

She nodded, antennae still drooping. "My father came to Earth from Andor because he heard there was a need for shuttle and hover repair engineers. He was brilliant, but self-taught, too old to enter the Academy. He set up his own repair shop and worked on many private shuttles and hovers. Occasionally, a Fleet one came to him when one of their systems broke down close by. Fleet would pay for the repair. One day a large transport Fleet ship broke down close to our town. The engineer on board could not fix it; he worked for days trying to repair it without results. Rather than send Engineers from the San Francisco space port, Fleet called my father to service it. He went with due haste."

"He would often take me to his work, so I could observe and learn and I was happy to go with him. After checking the shuttle, he saw that the Fleet ship Engineer had disrupted one of the warp conduits, he'd left it open and it got damaged. Being that the conduit was so close to the warp engine, it was a very dangerous situation that he'd created. My father told him so, accused him of incompetence, of endangering the crew and damaging the shuttle. The Engineer was very angry at my father. I heard their argument. My father left his side and went into the shuttle to fix it. I don't know exactly how it happened but the conduit coil exploded killing him instantly." Her antennae drooped down to her forehead in sadness and distress.

"There was an investigation," she continued. "The Fleet Engineer lied, blamed it on my father, that he made an error in his repair. Starfleet agreed with him even though I told them about the argument over the Engineer's carelessness. They thought I was only a child trying to defend my father so I was not believed, and so they found my father at fault. There was no recourse for us, no compensation, no apology, no consequence for the Fleet Engineer. I vowed then that I would avenge my father, and so I have done though it has taken years to do so," she added proudly.

Admiral Corrigan stood. "So now we know why," he said angrily.

"Now we know," Leonard agreed sadly.


	21. Chapter 21

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 21 **

"**Dance madly as if all of life is meant for dancing and celebrating." **

**Osho**

Jim and Leonard were silent as he piloted the shuttle back to the farm house. After the end of her interrogation, Zalaa had been moved to one of the state of the art SIS brigs as a temporary holding cell. She would stay there until her hearing.

"Jim, what do you think is gonna' happen to Zalaa."

"She's waived her rights to representation, Bones, so now all that's left is her court martial hearing. Treason and sabotage are crimes that carry the death penalty, but that kind of punishment hasn't been carried out for over a hundred years. Most likely she'll be stripped of her Fleet rank, status, and privileges and the court will sentence her to life imprisonment on Rura Penthe. It's the harshest punishment possible other than the death penalty."

Leonard shuddered, a shiver of foreboding running down his back. Rura Penthe was the notorious penal colony planetoid used by many worlds for the very worst of criminals. It was known as "the alien's graveyard" because the life expectancy for a prisoner there was, at most, a year. When it had first begun as a prison, no one on any Federation world wanted the responsibility of overseeing such a place. It was a bitterly cold, the landscape consisting of frozen glaciers and gusting blizzards. All living and mining activity was conducted underground, because without proper clothing no humanoid could survive on the surface. It was a barely habitable place where the sun seldom shone, and as far as anyone knew, there had never been any indigenous life there.

A magnetic shield covered the mining facility and the vast area surrounding it to prevent escape through beaming from the surface. The facility was routinely patrolled by armed guards, but further security measures were unnecessary because of the bitter climate. Prisoners wore clothing made of some sort of animal fur and the mining was done with pickaxes and lasers.

The Klingons, upon hearing about the vast quantity of dilithium there, volunteered to run the prison in exchange for exclusive rights to mine the mineral. The Federation Council approved the contract and the Klingons built the underground prison barracks and were put in charge of the mines. All prisoners were made to mine the dilithium. Around the Federation it was said that one was better off dead than sentenced to work in the mines of Rura Penthe.

"It's a sorry end to what could have been a productive happy life and career. All in the name of obsessive revenge. Real sad that, Jimmy."

Jim was silent, but Leonard could see that his jaw was clenched so tightly, that Leonard feared for his molars. Jim was the most genial of Captains, his was patient and understanding with his crew, and his disposition was usually happy, sunny. Sure there were times when Jim could react with anger, but he was at his most formidable when he went past fury to cold, incisive insight. Leonard had seen him display an emotional control that could rival any Vulcan. This treachery of Zalaa had pushed all his buttons. Jim held his Fleet oaths, his honor sacred, and Zalaa had betrayed all that he held dear.

"It is," he responded shortly. "She's a disgrace to her people, to the honor they uphold, to the Federation, and to Fleet." He gave Leonard a side glance. "Let's change the subject, Bones, please. Looks like we'll be home by supper time...and Ma's meatloaf," he smiled tightly. "Spock should also be back from San Francisco and I'm sure he'll want to eat dinner with us. Violet and Davy are probably already there." He grinned at Bones. Can't wait to see that little guy."

Leonard's blue eyes shone. "Yeah, me too, and tomorrow my Joanna's arrivin' and that will cheer us up, Jim. It's a good thing Peter is startin' on his spring vacation and he'll be home all week, or you'd have a hard time getting him to school every morning with Joanna stayin' home."

Jim smiled, his mood lightening. He adored Joanna, and the child felt the same about him. She had called him Uncle Jim since her toddler days.

"I'll be glad to get home, Bones, put this miserable mission behind us and focus on Ma's birthday party. I haven't done as much as I wanted to help her out."

"Yeah, but Ny says while a lot's been done, there's still lots left to do. And you've had other responsibilities, but I'm ready to pitch in to help you," Leonard smiled. He, like Jim, wanted everything to be perfect for the party. No one deserved it more than Winona Kirk.

The birthday party was now a week away, scheduled for next Friday evening. Plans were moving forward quickly thanks to Winona's two assistants. With Uhura's help, all the invitations had been sent, Winona standing firm at the count of 60 adults, one for each year of her life she told Jim, not counting the children.

Jim, with Bones' stern warning ringing in his ears, had acquiesced about the number of guests and not made a fuss about increasing the number of invitations.

Jim, Bones, Spock, Gavin, when he could get away, and Jonathon were assigned the task of stringing up the outdoor lights on the trees in the front yard, around the front porch posts and side railings, and on the boxwood bushes lining the front walk. Even the antique Kirk mail box would get decorated with multicolored lights. Hopefully the weather would be fine for the evening and, if not everyone would move indoors.

The caterers would set out one large buffet table for the main dishes, another for salads, vegetables, and side dishes, and a third smaller table for desserts and coffee. Large ice filled tubs would hold soft drinks and beer. Three long tables seating twenty guests each would be placed out on the front lawn. The tables would be set with white linen tablecloths, napkins, formal white china, crystal, and silver place settings. There would also be one small table for the children.

Jim had reserved a block of rooms at the Riverside Hotel for the out of town guests. It was the only hotel in Riverside, and although it was not luxurious, it was cozy, clean and comfortable.

Violet had volunteered to do all the flowers; fresh flower centerpieces for all the guest tables, and a bigger one for the main buffet table. She declared the flowers would be her birthday gift to Winona and nothing Winona could say about the expense dissuaded her.

There would be music all evening. Jim insisted on it, because his mother loved music, and one of his earliest and happiest memories was the sound of his mother's voice either singing or humming the songs she loved. She still did that as she worked around the house or was cooking in the kitchen. To the delight of the local theater group, Winona hired their eight piece orchestra and lead singers for the entire evening.

"We're almost home, Bones." Jim looked down at Riverside; the town was looking particularly mellow and beautiful. It was the time of the day that Jim's ancestors called The Gloaming, that brief period of time after sunset and before the darkness of night. He parked the shuttle in its usual place and they entered the back door to find the kitchen alight and bustling with activity.

"Jim, Len!" His mom greeted them happily. "Just in time for supper!"

"Ji, Ji, Ji," Davy's delighted yell made them laugh. Jim plucked him from his booster into his arms and Davy gave him a tight neck hug and an open mouth kiss. Violet gave Jim and Leonard an impartial hug. "Davy, don't choke the life out of Jim," she cautioned him. She took him from Jim's arms and put him back in his booster. "Time to eat, Davy."

"Eat, eat, Ma!"

"You have a fickle child, Violet Palomino Bradford."

"Food trumps anything and anyone right now," Violet laughed. "Davy's always hungry."

Dinner was delicious, Winona's meatloaf savory and mouthwatering. Davy, now learning to use a baby sized fork, gave up on it, and used his fingers, then asked Ma for "mow."

Dinner was well underway, when Peter with a quick, nervous glance at Jim asked, "Dr. Bones after dinner can I speak to you privately in Noni's study?"

Leonard looked up from his plate in surprise. Winona opened her mouth to say something, but a soft tap from Jim's foot and a meaningful look from him, made her close it again.

"Of course, Peter." He looked worriedly at Jim, but Jim's serene smile reassured him. "We'll go in the study right after we finish."

Peter sighed in relief. Joanna was coming tomorrow and he had to get the kitten issue sorted, find out from Dr. Bones if he was okay with Joanna receiving one of Cleo's kittens. This morning he'd received a message from T'Lane that the kittens were ready for their new homes. Peter promised that he'd let her know tomorrow morning if Joanna could have the kitten. He bent over his meatloaf and finished it quickly.

Jim looked at the little bent head tenderly. He knew the kitten issue had weighed heavily on Peter's mind. He took his responsibility of finding a good home for Cleo's kitten very seriously. He also wanted to make Joanna happy. As Peter grew older, Jim was noticing that his personality and temperament were reminding him more and more of Sam's. Although at this age Peter looked more like Jim than Sam, he had that innate kindness, serene temperament, and deep sense of responsibility that had always been present in Sam and in his grandfather, George. Jim was more like his mother, intrepid, adventuresome, charming, and charismatic.

"Since we're both finished, Peter, let's go into the study for our talk, okay?"

"Noni, I'll feed the animals as soon as I'm through talking to Dr. Bones."

"Don't worry about it, Peter," Jim assured him. "Davy and I will do it, right Davy? You want to feed Dapple, Ginger, and the chickens with me?"

Davy banged on his tray. "Yes, yes, yes. I go."

"Guess that answers my question. You and Bones take your time, Peter."

In the study Leonard sat in Winona's chair and Peter on the small love seat facing him. He had his padd with him, and fiddled with it.

"There now, Peter. We're both comfortable. Now tell me what did you want to talk to me about?"

So Peter told him about Joanna's desire for a kitten, about Cleo's three babies, of Sarek and Amanda's wish of finding good homes for them, and of his idea of getting one of the kittens for Joanna.

"Joanna's mom is okay with it, but only if you agree she's old enough to take care of the kitten, Dr. Bones." Peter turned worried eyes to Leonard. "I can teach Joanna all about taking care of the kitten while she's here with us. She told me she's a real fast learner."

Leonard's lips twitched, but he kept his face solemn. He nodded his head. "She is a fast learner. I agree with that. Now tell me more about this kitten."

Peter opened his padd. "T'Lane sends me pictures of them pretty often. Here is the one Joanna wants. This is the only girl kitten out of the three. She's real pretty, isn't she? That cinnamon color in an Abyssinian is called Red. See the brown and cream colors at the tips, and that brown line down the middle of her head that goes all the way to the tip of her tail? I think her color's real pretty, isn't it? Her little nose and foot pads are pink instead of black like Sorrel's and Queen Cleo's. Abbys can have either color, and look, , at the underneath color of her fur? It's called apricot. Their eyes are real big, a gold color or green." Peter grinned at Leonard. "Look at her little tufted ears. Joanna thought they were real cute, like a little wildcat."

"She is very cute, but she's very tiny, Peter."

"She's twelve weeks old, so she's already weaned, but she's always gonna be smaller than Sorrel," Peter explained. "Which is good, because Joanna is little. I think she's a real special kitten, don't you think so? And T'Lane says she's very smart. So what do you think, Dr. Bones? Do you think Joanna is old enough to own a kitten?" He looked up from the padd anxiously. "I gotta' let T'Lane know right away, 'cause someone else wants her, it's someone at the embassy. But T'Lane and Lady Amanda promised that I could have first choice for Joanna, and if you say yes, T'Lane can bring the kitten when she, Mr. Sarek, and Lady Amanda come to Noni's party. Joanna could take the kitten home in a cat carrier."

"Hmm, that does put a different complexion on the situation," Leonard said seriously. "We certainly don't want to delay if someone's waitin' in the wings for that kitten. Tell you what, young Peter, if you'll take on the responsibility of teaching JoJo how to take good care of the kitten, help her learn all about the responsibilities of having a pet, then I'll agree to her getting this kitten."

Peter's face broke into a huge grin! "Really, Dr. Bones?"

"Really, Peter," Leonard grinned back, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Oh, boy! Wait 'til I tell Joanna!" Leonard suddenly had a lap full of little boy and was half strangled in a tight hug. "Thanks, Dr. Bones." Peter's small face was flushed with pleasure. "Joanna is gonna' to be so happy!"

"You're welcome. Now you run along and comm JoJo before it's her bed time. Just remind her that she's gonna be responsible for the health and welfare of that tiny kitten."

"I will, Dr. Bones, and I have to tell T'Lane too. She's gonna be happy and excited too." He grinned suddenly and mischievously at Leonard, "or as excited as a Vulcan girl can get," Peter added, running out excitedly to impart the good news.

Leonard laughed loudly, and went back into the kitchen. Everyone was still around the big round table, obviously waiting to hear what the conversation between Peter and Leonard had been about.

Jim, with a Davy on his lap, looked curiously at Bones. "Everything okay, Bones? Where's Peter?"

"Everything's fine," he told them. "Peter went to tell Joanna she's gonna' be the proud owner of one of Cleo's kittens." He felt Sorrel at his feet. With Davy on Jim's lap, Sorrel had felt brave enough to come out of hiding to eat his dinner. Len reached down a hand to pet the beautiful cat. "You hear that, Sorrel, your baby sister is gonna live with my Joanna." Sorrel chirped his gratification at the news and took off running as Davy scrambled down from Jim's lap.

"Kitty, kitty," Davy said, looking avidly after him.

"You leave kitty alone, young man," his mother told him. "When you get a little older you may play with Sorrel without loving and hugging him to death."

"It is gratifying that Joanna will have one of Queen Cleo's kittens, Dr. McCoy. I, myself, am quite partial to cats and to Cleo especially. She has a noble temperament, and is a very intelligent and affectionate cat. Her offspring will make an excellent companion for Miss Joanna. I am certain she will handle the responsibility of being a pet owner well. You and Peter will be excellent pet tutors."

"Well thank you, Spock." Leonard said, hiding his surprise at the compliment.

Peter ran in beaming from ear to ear. "Joanna was real excited, Dr. Bones. She can't wait to get here tomorrow to see you. I commed T'Lane too, and she said to tell you that she and Lady Amanda are very gratified you agreed JoJo could have the kitten. When T'Lane, Mr. Sarek and Lady Amanda come to the party she'll bring the kitten, then me, Joanna, and T'Lane are going to have a meeting to discuss what to name the kitten. T'Lane said to tell you not to worry about a cat carrier, collar, a bed or kitten food. She's bringing everything," Peter reported. "I can't wait to see Joanna's face when she sees the kitten. They're real small when they're just weaned, Dr. Bones. Sorrel could fit in the palm of Noni's hand, remember, Noni?"

Winona smiled at him and nodded.

"They grow pretty fast though. This kitty will stay smaller than Sorrel, just cause she's a girl, and girl Abyssinian kitties always stay smaller."

"Well now, that's mighty nice of T'Lane to bring all that for JoJo, Peter." Leonard glanced at Spock. "I bet your mama had something to do with that, don't you think so, Spock?"

Spock nodded. "I do. Mother is very particular about Cleo's kittens; who they are given to, and the kind of care they receive. She often tells father and me that Cleo is royalty, and therefore her kittens are too. As a consequence they must have the best accrutements to take with them when they are given away. Father and I are almost certain she means it facetiously, but we, as well as the Embassy staff, comply with her wishes."

"I bet you do," Bones agreed, glancing at Jim. Lady Amanda was a formidable woman, and he was sure the Vulcans had learned that early on.

Winona stood. "It's past time you were in bed, Peter. Your Uncle Jim and Davy did your outside chores, it's bath, teeth, and bed for you young man. You can sleep a little bit later tomorrow since it's the start of your spring vacation."

"I'll wake you in plenty of time so you can go with Bones and me to Des Moines to pick up Joanna, Squirt. Davy and I will feed the chicken and gather the eggs. Right Davy?"

"Chickies, cluck, cluck, cluck," Davy crowed. They all laughed.

"I too, must be going," Spock said. "Chief Romaine...Jonathon and I have scheduled a chess game this evening." He stood. "Thank you for dinner, Dr. Kirk. As always your meal was well prepared and appetizing."

Winona's lips twitched and she didn't dare glance at Jim. "Thank you, Spock," she answered composedly. "I'm happy you enjoyed your soy meatloaf."

"Good night, Peter-kam. We will continue our game tomorrow if you have time since you'll have a guest."

"Good night, Mr. Spock, I'll try to make time for sure." As always Peter hugged everyone, kissed his Noni and Uncle Jim, and took himself to bed. He was tired but content. Cleo's kitten would have a good home, Joanna was thrilled and happy, and he had met the responsibility he'd undertaken for his beloved T'Lane.


	22. Chapter 22

**Why This Candle? Why This Cake? **

**Chapter 22**

**Epilogue **

"**You get a strange feeling when you're about to leave a place...**

**like you'll not only miss the people you love but you'll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, **

**because you'll never be this way ever again."****  
****Azar Nafisi **

The birthday party was going strong. Jim looked around with pleasure; all the guests were having a wonderful time. The party was, in his totally unbiased opinion, a huge success. The spring evening was clear and cool, the stars bright above, and the outdoor lights added a festive golden glow to the yard. Violet's centerpieces were beautiful, the roses, sweet peas, lilacs, and baby's breaths, adding their sweet fragrant scent to the evening. The china, silver place settings, and the crystal gleamed softly under the lights.

The food, even if it wasn't from Mama Salvatore's restaurant, was excellent. Unable to resist temptation, Jim had surreptitiously taste tested several dishes. Winona had insisted on hiring different caterers for the party, so the Salvatore's, mama, papa, Gio, Marie and her family could enjoy the evening without having to work.

Marie's three children, dressed a little more formally than usual, were sitting with the equally dressed up, Joanna, Peter, and his two best friends at a separate smaller table. Joanna's new kitten was safe and sound in the cat carrier in Peter's bedroom.

It seemed that every single person who'd received an invitation had come, Tom Jeffries had flown in from New York, Sarek, Amanda, and T'Lane came by Vulcan shuttle from San Francisco. Father Joe, Serena, Jonathon, Jerry and Harry Blackwell their families and parents, Admiral and Mrs. Nogura, and of course Gavin, Violet and Davy, Bones, Uhura, Spock, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov, and all the Davis and Kirk kin were present. Guests had come from near and far to celebrate Winona's birthday.

Appetizers and drinks were being passed around by the wait staff, and the guests were congregating in small groups laughing, eating, drinking and talking. Winona, dressed in her favorite lilac tunic and flowing pants, drifted from group to group, greeting every guest, laughing, chatting with everyone.

Jim looked around. It was time, he thought. He walked over to the front of the head table, clinked his glass, raised his command voice, and asked for everyone's attention. He called Peter over to come stand beside him, gave him a small glass filled with apple juice, beckoned his mother to his side, put his arm around her, and raised his champagne glass to offer a birthday toast to her.

"Good evening everyone. Welcome! My mother, Peter and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being here on this very special occasion. It's heartwarming to see so many of our dear friends and family gathered here at the farmhouse on this beautiful evening to help us celebrate my mother's 60th birthday."

Under the many twinkling lights, Jim's hazel eyes glowed with pleasure as he gazed at the assembled guests. "At this time I'd like for all of us to raise our glasses in a toast to my mother." He turned to face his mother who looked back at him, eyes filled with love and happiness. "Mama, you have been an exemplary wife, mother and grandmother. You're a woman who possesses the attributes of honesty, love, integrity, gentleness, and devotion. Along with the immense joy and adventure you've brought into our lives, you've taught us by example the real value of love, family, friendship, and kindness. You've shown us how to appreciate what we have, never taking it for granted. You have been, and always will be, an inspiration to all of us here. I know if my father George, and my brother Sam were here with us tonight, they would agree with me whole heartedly. So tonight we are gathered here to honor, cherish and love you." He raised his glass high. "To Winona Kirk! Happy Birthday, Ma"

"Here, here! To Winona, Happy Birthday!" The guests chorused loudly.

Winona stepped forward from the circle of Jim's arm and smiled up at him misty eyed. "Thank you, sweetheart. Looking at all of you here, my wonderful friends and family, sharing my birthday evening with me, I feel profoundly thankful and very blessed." She turned loving hazel eyes to her son and grandson. "Thank you, Jim, thank you Peter. A mother couldn't ask for a better son and grandson. I love you both very much. Now my dear ones, I want to give credit where credit is due. It was Jim's idea to have this birthday party, and I think it was a pretty good one." The crowd laughed and clapped. Jim took a small bow, grinning, and Winona dimpled.

"I also want to give special thanks to my dear, dear friends, Violet Bradford and Nyota Uhura, without whose help all this wouldn't have been accomplished. Also, Jim, Gavin, Leonard, Jonathon and Mr. Spock who climbed all over to put up these festive beautiful lights." She looked around at the guests. "Thank you, my dear friends and family for sharing this wonderful evening with me. I'm very happy all of you are here with us so let's all sit down and eat some of this delicious food."

And eat they did, the party going strong until very late. It had been decided that the children would be put to bed in sleeping bags on the living room floor. Violet had hired a baby sitter for the evening and Davy was now sound asleep in his cot in Winona's bedroom under the watchful eye of his minder. Gavin would fly the four of them to the hotel after the party. Having the children spend the night was easier than trying to get them all home. The children's parents would pick up Peter's guests after a late brunch the following morning.

Thankfully the catering staff took care of all the clean up. Jim had been adamant that his mother would do no work on her birthday, and everyone finally got to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. The Kirk household declared the party a resounding success as they took themselves happily and tiredly to bed.

Joanna's week with Leonard flew by. The house was full of laughter, games, horseback and donkey rides, cooking, baking, and of course learning to take care of the kitten.

The second day of Joanna's visit a very important meeting to name the kitten took place in Winona's study. Choosing a good name was a responsibility which weighed heavily on the two children. To the amusement of the adults, that had been the sole topic of conversation between Peter and Joanna since the kitten's arrival. Names had been bandied back and forth with no decision having been made yet.

On the third day of Joanna's visit, Joanna, Peter, Bones, T'Lane, (present by comm) and Jim (who was asked to sit in as the tie breaking vote should one be needed) sat in the study for the naming discussion. Winona had provided milk and cookies for sustenance should the naming session become prolonged.

"Good morning, T'Lane," Jim said to her on the comm.

"Good morning, Captain, Doctor, children. I am gratified to be present on this important occasion, the naming of Queen Cleopatra's kitten," she responded solemnly, but her dark eyes were twinkling.

"Peter, you're in charge here," Jim told him. "So let's get this meeting started."

Peter nodded. He and Joanna had discussed at length the importance of finding the perfect name for the kitten who was presently sound asleep on Joanna's lap. Occasionally she'd look down and smile, her small hand petting the baby kitten gently. Jim surreptitiously pulled out his comm to take a picture of the sweet tableaux. It would be one of his gifts to Bones for his birthday.

"Okay," Peter cleared his throat. "Joanna and I did some research the last couple of days. Abby's are originally from Egypt, so I thought an Egyptian name like Nefertiti, Isis, or even Cleopatra like her mama would work pretty well."

"Those names would indeed be appropriate," T'Lane agreed, "however, Peter and Joanna, the possibilities for an appropriate name for the kitten are endless. I suggest you narrow the kitten's name down to something you like Joanna, without any preconceptions, expectations, or narrow constraints. Is there a name that comes to your mind that you particularly like, or that you think is appropriate for the kitten?" T'Lane asked the child directly.

Jim watching T'Lane, thought bemusedly how Spock, Sarek, and T'Lane all seemed to respond so positively to human children. He wondered if it was because they had no expectation of human children conforming to proscribed Vulcan standards of behavior, so the Vulcans were much more relaxed and at ease, not nearly as rigid or controlled in their interactions as they were with their own children.

"There is a name I kinda like," Joanna confessed.

"What is it, sweet pea?" Leonard asked. "She's your kitten after all."

"I kinda like the name Saffron," Joanna said. "I heard Miss Winona say it to Miss Nyota when they were cookin' something in the kitchen. I liked it when I heard it 'cause it sounds good with Sorrel, and they're brother and sister. The sounds sorta go together. What do you think, Peter? Do you like it?"

"Saffron...Saffron...," Peter nodded, his small face serious. "I do like it, JoJo. Saffron and Sorrel," he murmured. "The name does sound good with Sorrel."

T'Lane nodded. "I agree. It is a good name," she said. "Lady Amanda will be pleased with your choice."

"Well that's it, then. The kitten's name is Saffron. Thank you, T'Lane, for sittin' in on this important occasion," Leonard said, his blue eyes twinkling back at her black ones. "Please give Lady Amanda our thanks again for giving Joanna...Saffron."

"I will. Goodbye Captain, Doctor." She raised her hand in the ta'al. "Live long and prosper, Joanna. Peter, I will communicate with you soon by letter. I believe it is my turn to write."

"Yep, it's your turn. Bye, T'Lane. Thanks again for helping us."

With the kitten now named, the rest of the week passed in a blur, and then it was time...time for Joanna to go home. Traveling arrangements were made and Winona helped the little girl pack. Goodbyes were difficult, but having both Peter and Winona ride with Jim and Leonard on the shuttle trip to Des Moines eased the sadness. Leonard was content; his week with his little girl had been perfect.

There was much hugging, loving kisses, and a few sad tears, then all too soon Joanna was being escorted by the flight attendant, carrying Saffron's carrier, to the shuttle. To the child's delight, Leonard had splurged and bought a regular shuttle ticket so Saffron could be placed in the seat next to Joanna instead of in back of the shuttle. At the top of the ramp, Joanna turned and waved as she went inside the shuttle.

It was a silent shuttle ride back to Riverside. They were already missing the little girl. Jim, looking at Bones and Peter's sad faces, decided that several outings were needed for didtraction.

At the end of following week the yard dogs declared _Enterprise_ ready for service; the refits of the warp engine and the weapons' array were complete. Scotty and Spock, already back on duty on the ship still docked in San Francisco, checked and re-checked the new warp coils, dilithium crystals, new warp engines, and upgraded weapons' array. They reported to Jim in minute detail everything that had been done to the _Enterprise. _The warp and impulse engines were the heart of the mighty ship, without them she could neither function nor fly.

The old warp engines, Scotty reported his accent thick with excitement, were replaced with a radically different vertical warp core assembly linked to the new and heavier warp engines' nacelles atop the ship's pylons. The warp engines were now newly integrated with the impulse engines, giving them more power. The new weapons system upgrades included 9 dual phaser banks and a new double photon torpedoes' launcher placed atop the secondary hull. The new weapons were beauties, reported Scotty. "They'll stop any warbird with no problem, Captain."

Both Scotty and Spock had urged the excited Jim to stay home to enjoy his last few of days of leave. He could look over the upgrades in a few days when his leave was over. Surprisingly, and to everyone's delight, Jim agreed. He decided his mother's birthday was important enough that he could delegate responsibilities for a couple of more days. After all, no one knew the ship's engines and weapons better than Scotty, and Spock came in a close second to Jim himself.

Spock reported that he had begun to recall the crew, they were scattered all over the globe and were slowly trickling back to the ship one by one.

Once Spock reported that the entire crew complement was back on board, it was finally time for Jim, Uhura, and Leonard to say goodbye to the Riverside folks. Jim made his rounds, visiting all his Riverside friends to say his goodbyes. He, his mother, and Peter said their goodbyes in private in her study. Peter shed a few tears, but Jim consoled the little boy by promising him a long comm visit as soon as they were clear of Earth's orbit and back out in the black. It was, Jim knew, a small consolation for the little boy; goodbyes were still very difficult for him.

Jim flew the three of them to San Francisco straight to the space dock, and once back on board, they unpacked, settled back in their quarters and then reported to the bridge for duty. Jim settled in the Captain's chair, smiling sunnily at his command crew already at their stations. He looked around the bridge in satisfaction. The ship was sparkling clean and looked splendid.

Uhura at her station, swiveled in her chair. "Paperwork for disembarkation is filed and approved, Captain. Space Central says we're cleared to depart as soon as the robots uncouple us. They add safe journey, Captain.

"Acknowledge and thank them, Lieutenant." Then Jim gave the order. "Take us out, Mr. Sulu."

On the giant view screen, Jim and Spock, with Bones standing at his usual station by Jim's left shoulder, watched with the rest of the Alpha crew as the robots uncoupled the USS _Enterprise_ from her umbilical connections to the station. Under Sulu's experienced hands, the ship expertly turned to face the giant space port maw which opened slowly for the great ship to leave her docking station.

"Easy does it, Mr. Sulu. Half impulse please."

"Aye, Sir."

The ship glided slowly through the giant maw and out into the Earth's outer atmosphere. Sulu then turned her to face away from Earth, aligning her primary and secondary hulls and nacelles readying her for the jump into warp. The bright sunlight, not diffused or dimmed by Earth's atmosphere, played across her primary and secondary discs as she turned making her silver iridium skin glow brilliantly.

Jim looked up at Bones. "Beautiful, isn't she, Bones?"

Leonard smiled and nodded, placing an affectionate warm hand on his shoulder. "She surely is, Jim."

Jim toggled his comm. "Scotty are our new warp engines on line?"

"Aye, Captain, they be purring like kittens, warp speed at your command."

"Ready, Mr. Sulu?" Jim grinned at his eager helmsman.

Sulu turned to smile back. "Ready, Sir," he responded mischief in his dark eyes.

"Warp one, Mr. Sulu."

The _Enterprise_ rolled slightly from side to side in a victory roll, like the ancient aircraft used to do with their wings, then in a blink of an eye, she snapped into warp, and vanished into the blackness of space.

Fin

—

**My thanks go out to my friend Carol for all her help with Abby information and for naming Joanna's kitten. Her own beautiful Queen Cleopatra is the inspiration for Saffron's mama. **


End file.
